


Sincerely, Me Extras

by Ignis_Sassentia, SharkbaitHooHaHa



Series: Cause We're Hella Gay [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Sex, Body Worship, Drabbles, Exhibitionism, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Makeup Sex, Multi, Nipple Piercings, Oral Sex, Other scenes from Sincerely Me, Smut, This one's all prose, Voyeurism, accidental orgasm denial, educational sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-01-09 06:19:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12270636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignis_Sassentia/pseuds/Ignis_Sassentia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkbaitHooHaHa/pseuds/SharkbaitHooHaHa
Summary: Expanded and extra scenes and drabbles fromSincerely, Me. Spoilers for the main fic, but we'll announce which chapters in the title of each piece here.





	1. Iggy's Fantasies (set during chapters 13 and 32)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! The two of us have been tossing around ideas for some outside drabbles/extra scenes for Sincerely, Me, and we finally took the plunge. Thanks to NekkoxChan for inspiring this first piece by asking about Iggy's fantasies when he got those special pictures from Prompto ;) 
> 
> This piece won't update nearly as often as the main fic, just fyi. But it should have some fun things happening here and there--including maybe a little bit of smut??? 
> 
> Also, feel free to join us on Tumblr at [Ignis-Sassentia](http://ignis-sassentia.tumblr.com) and [KwehKwehMotherfucker](http://kwehkwehmotherfucker.tumblr.com/)!

**_The Dick Pic (chapter 13)_ **

Ignis stared at the image on phone screen for several moments, his mouth dry and heat curling in his belly. He was used to seeing photos of Noctis’ penis, of course--given His Highness’ penchant for sending them any time he felt like annoying his advisor--but seeing  _ Prompto’s _ was quite another thing altogether. It was a little surprising how quickly that single image sent Ignis’ mind into a spiral. 

  


He could see it now: kissing Prompto silly, then working down Prompto’s lean body, lapping at the definition of his muscles as his hands unbuckled Prompto’s belt. Kissing his way across Prompto’s navel, pulling his underwear down with his teeth, nuzzling that soft patch of blond hair, taking that lovely cock in his mouth and hearing Prompto gasp his name, teasing until-- 

  


Heat raising in his cheeks, Ignis quickly closed the photo and turned his phone screen off. Thank the Six he was alone in his bedroom. 

  
  
  


**_The Nip Pic (chapter 32)_ **

Ignis hadn’t expected to be as turned on by the photo of Prompto’s pierced nipples as he was. He hadn’t particularly been interested in body piercings before, but Prompto certainly pulled them off. Entirely too well. 

  


He could practically hear his teeth clicking against the little silver barbells, Prompto’s surprised gasp, Prompto’s hand twisting in his hair, heat rising between them. He’d read somewhere once that ice on nipple piercings created quite a unique sensation, and he filed the information away in the “suddenly relevant” section of his mind he’d started keeping since that date at the Royal Gallery. 

  


Ignis’ phone buzzed in his hand and he blinked, quickly typing out a reply that was as close as he could get to outright admitting the piercings had him intrigued. 


	2. Insecurities (set during chapter 26)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys wanted some more angst, right? Have the feels of Gladio and Ignis during Ignis' breakdown in Chapter 26 of the main Sincerely, Me fic. Because Sassentia doesn't know how to write something without a little bit of angst. (Also, -gasp- Sincerely, Me content on the weekend! We really do love our readers.)

Gladio had been worried about the text before, but he nearly panicked when he found Ignis’ front door unlocked. Ignis never left his door open. Especially not at 2:30 in the morning. Whatever was happening in Ignis’ head must have been way worse than anticipated. 

“Iggy?” Gladio called quietly as he pushed the door open and stepped into the dark apartment. 

All the lights were off, leaving only the glow of streetlamps and the far-off glitter of the Wall filtering in from the windows. It was dark enough that Gladio nearly missed the lump of shadow on the couch until it shifted and revealed itself to be Ignis. 

“Here,” Ignis murmured, his voice soft and rough. 

Gladio’s heart lurched. Ignis hadn’t even asked how he got in. Yeah, the poor guy was miserable and distracted. 

The Shield carefully locked the door behind him and flipped on the hall light, kicking off his shoes. He crossed to the couch and settled beside Ignis, frowning at his friend. 

Ignis looked, quite honestly, like shit. His eyes were already red and puffy, his face a little splotchy, his hair mussed, his soft pajamas ruffled. Gladio couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Ignis look so undone. He nodded weakly at Gladio and mumbled, “thank you for coming.” 

“Any time,” Gladio replied earnestly. 

They sat in silence for a moment, neither of them quite looking at each other. 

Finally, Gladio heaved a sigh. “Iggy. Seriously. How long have you been worried about all this?” 

Ignis shrugged, cloth rustling gently. “I’ve had insecurities about myself for quite some time. I suppose it happens when you’re groomed to be nothing but an aide for your entire life. One’s sense of self tends to become a bit...skewed.” 

“An aide?” Gladio asked, turning to frown at Ignis. “You’re more than an aide, Iggy. You’re Noct’s primary advisor. You’re a damn genius. You’re my best friend. You’ve got interests outside of helping Noct. I’ve been ‘groomed’ my whole life, too, and you don’t see me freaking out about who I am or that I’m not good enough for someone to love.” 

Ignis groaned and dropped his head into his hands, curling tighter in on himself against the side of the couch. “You’re an Amicitia. Your duty is your identity. You’ve always taken pride in that.” 

“Thought you took pride in your duty, too,” Gladio said gently. If it was Noct, he would have reached over and pulled Ignis into a tight hug. But Ignis had always been much more of a stickler about personal space. For the first time in a long time, Gladio felt awkward around his friend, not quite certain what to do to help. “Iggy...why the hell didn’t you say anything earlier? We could’ve worked on this ages ago. Stopped it from getting this bad.” 

“I thought I could handle it,” Ignis admitted in a pained whisper, his voice muffled by his fingers. “I didn’t want to burden anyone with my idiocy.” 

Oh, screw it. Gladio sighed and scooted closer, gently wrapping his big around around Ignis’ trembling form. He tried not to show how surprised he was when Ignis simply slumped against him. “It’s not idiocy, and it’s not a burden. It’s how you feel. Emotions aren’t exactly the most rational things on the planet.” 

Ignis mumbled something into Gladio’s chest. 

“What?” 

He shook his head, but didn’t repeat what he’d said. 

Gladio simply held him for a long time, slowly realizing warm wetness was seeping through his shirt. Ignis was still crying? Crap. Gladio could count on one hand the times he remembered seeing Ignis cry before--including throughout their entire childhood--and it had never been more than a few minutes at a time. But Ignis said he’d been crying for half an hour before Gladio offered to come over, and had apparently been silently sobbing since Gladio hugged him. 

This was not good. Not good at all. 

“You’re good enough,” Gladio murmured, his big hand rubbing gentle circles on Ignis’ back, callouses catching on the soft cotton pajama shirt. “I meant what I said earlier. You’re the best guy I know. Seriously. You’re so damn smart, and you care so fucking much about Noct, and me, and Prompto, and...everything. Anyone’d be lucky to have you as a boyfriend. Hell, I’m luckier than I’ve got any right being just because you’re my friend. I just wish you could see it.” 

Ignis pulled away abruptly, glowering weakly at Gladio through red-rimmed eyes and a tear-stained face. “Gladiolus. Stop lying to me. My entire life revolves around Noctis and preparing him to assume the throne. It has for as long as I can remember. You’ve only known me in that capacity. Who am I without that? Nothing. That’s not a life someone like Prompto deserves. I...I can come to terms with that. I can. Just please...stop lying to me. That only makes it worse.” 

“Who says I’m lying?” Gladio demanded gently, cupping Ignis’ face between his hands. He forced Ignis to meet his gaze, doing his best to make sure he looked as earnest and honest as he felt. “Listen, Ignis. I don’t lie to my friends. Especially not you. And I know you know that. So just trust me. You’re amazing. If anything, no one else deserves  _ you _ .” 

Ignis tried to pull back again, but Gladio held him in place, so he settled for squeezing his eyes shut. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.” 

“Damn straight I am. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.” 

“I know I’ll hurt him,” Ignis whispered after a long moment. His entire body seemed to deflate a little bit as he sighed. “There will come a day when I have to decide between Prompto and my duty to Lucis, and I know which one I’ll choose. Which one I have to choose, no matter how much I wish otherwise. And that’s...it isn’t fair. I can’t stand the thought of hurting him like that.” 

Gladio’s thumb gently wiped away a tear from Ignis’ cheek. “Have you talked to him about it?” 

“Heavens, no. Why would I? It’s obvious he’s not interested in me romantically.” 

Gladio sighed heavily and finally released Ignis, running his hands over his own face. “Damn it, Iggy. Prompto’s head over heels for you. And you can’t make this kind of decision for him. Maybe he knows you’ll always put Lucis above him and he’s okay with it. He’s a big boy, and he has his own duty to Noct now. He can handle a little disappointment now and then.” 

Ignis shook his head once more. “This isn’t a little disappointment now and then, Gladio. It’s an entire lifestyle. One I fear Prompto would loathe. He needs more freedom in his life than I can afford to provide him. I must come to terms with the fact that I’m simply not good enough for the man of my dreams.” 

“Taking it a little far there, maybe?” Gladio suggested in surprise. He knew Ignis was completely besotted with Prompto, but “man of my dreams” seemed a little too hopelessly romantic for the normally-stoic advisor. He sighed and yanked off his tear-stained shirt, tossing to aside. “Look. Ignis. I don’t know what’s got you all messed up like this, but just take a breath and try to  _ actually listen _ for a sec here.” 

Ignis sniffled and grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table as Gladio repeated what he’d said earlier. Of course, that only set off another round of protests from Ignis. 

They went around and around for three hours before Ignis finally heaved a sigh and rested his head against Gladio’s shoulder.

“Fine,” he whispered, eyes drooping shut. He yawned, attempting to covering it with one hand but not quite managing in time. “I’ll think on it.” 

“Thanks,” Gladio muttered in reply, wrapping one big arm around his friend. He sighed as well and rested his cheek against Ignis’ head. “And just...give Prompto a shot. Seriously.” 

Ignis snorted quietly. “We’ll see.” 

They sat in silence for a long moment, Gladio’s fingers running gentle circles on Ignis’ arm. “I’ll call your uncle in a couple hours. Let him know you need a break.” 

“Thank you,” Ignis breathed. He shifted, curling closer to Gladio’s warmth. “And thank you for coming. I...I’m afraid I sorely needed it.” 

“No sweat. Get some rest.” Gladio was pretty sure Ignis was already asleep by the time he finished the suggestion. Well, there were worse things to do with an early morning than let his best friend sleep on his shoulder. 

Once he was completely sure Ignis was fast asleep, he sighed and twisted a little to press a very soft, chaste kiss to the crown of Ignis’ head. It was stupid and sappy and Noct would  _ kill _ him if he ever found out, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about seeing Ignis so broken up that just brought out that instinct in Gladio, and who was he to fight it? 


	3. Blanket Burrito (set during chapter 36)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure fluff. So fluffy. The fluffiest.

Ignis lingered in the hallway outside his flat for far longer than he intended. Why had he suddenly grown so nervous? He had been the one to suggest meeting, despite being two in the morning. He had driven to Prompto’s house, only to receive a text that Prompto had already walked to his flat, and he promptly drove back. The late-night conversation had left him wanting nothing more than to wrap Prompto up in a hug and kiss him senseless, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite bring himself to open the door. 

It was two-thirty in the morning now, and his boyfriend was waiting for him in his own flat, wrapped up tight in a mess of blankets with barely his face uncovered. He should be thrilled about that. Part of him certainly was. But a part of him was also running through other scenarios: what if Prompto wanted something he couldn’t deliver? What if Prompto was already asleep? What if… 

No. He shook his head firmly and unlocked the door, pushing into the front hall. “Prompto?” 

Prompto, in his attempt to disentangle himself from the blankets and go to the door to greet Ignis, gracelessly fell off the couch. He struggled, but no amount of wriggling could free him from his blanket prison. He soon gave up trying to get out of it and inched his way toward the front door like a pitiful, blond caterpillar. That was drunk. And had no sense of direction.

“Ow!” Prompto cried as he ran face-first into the wall.

“Iggyyyyyy...” he whined, flopping over dejectedly and pouting. “Heeeeeelp…”

Ignis covered his mouth with his hand to keep from giggling like an idiot at the cute, awkward lump that was Prompto wriggling on the floor in a mess of blankets. Perhaps it was the late hour, or perhaps it was how much he adored Prompto, but the sheer ridiculousness only made him want to kiss his boyfriend even more. At least the moment had quite effectively killed his inexplicable anxiety. 

He carefully closed and locked the door, then padded over to Prompto’s side. He crouched down with a fond little smile and pulled the blankets back from Prompto’s face. “You seem to have found yourself in quite a predicament, darling.” 

Prompto’s pout deepened. “Stop smiling, this isn’t funny!”

“Apologies.” Ignis did not in fact stop smiling. He chuckled softly and awkwardly leaned down to kiss Prompto. 

Prompto whined as Ignis pulled away from the kiss. “Kiss me again,” he demanded.

Ignis chuckled again and obliged, letting the kiss linger for far longer than perhaps he should have. His hand slid up Prompto’s neck, gently pushing the blankets away until he could tangle his fingers in Prompto’s hair. 

Prompto grinned against Ignis’ lips. He moaned softly as Ignis tugged gently at his hair. He tried to wiggle his arms out of the blankets but only managed to flip himself over so that he was face-down on the floor. He groaned sadly as his new position left him unable to kiss Ignis.

Ignis bit his lip to keep from laughing again. Poor, clumsy Prompto. His pitiful, adorable boyfriend. He shifted his weight to awkwardly wrap his arms around Prompto and pick him up, blankets and all. Smiling fondly to himself, he carried Prompto over to the couch and sat down, settling the blanket burrito of a gunman in his lap. “Better?” 

Prompto leaned his head against Ignis’ chest and smiled. “Yeah, this is better.”

Ignis snuggled into Prompto’s hair, trying not to completely lose himself in the smell of Prompto’s hair products. His arms tightened gently around his boyfriend and he allowed himself a soft, content smile. “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry for the miscommunication.” 

Prompto hummed contentedly and nuzzled into Ignis’ neck. “I brought  _ The Voyage Home _ with me,” he mumbled tiredly. “It’s in my bag over there.” He lifted his blanket-wrapped legs and pointed them towards his bag were he had left it by the kitchen.

“Perhaps we’ll put it on a bit,” Ignis murmured, letting his eyes flutter shut as he held Prompto a little closer. “But for now, I’d much prefer not to move.” 

“Mm, fair enough,” Prompto agreed as his eyes drifted shut. With the combination of the warmth of the blankets and Ignis’ heartbeat thrumming steadily in his ear, he was asleep within a matter of moments.

Ignis didn’t remain awake much longer, with Prompto’s warmth and weight of him, surprisingly soothing. Definitely a wonderful cure for insomnia. 


	4. Prompto Argentum and the Very Awkward Boner (set during chapter 38)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our first smut! :D For anyone who wanted to see the Battle of the Blowjobs.

Prompto had been (mostly) joking when he had asked Gladio to teach him about sex. He had thought he already had a pretty good grasp on the concept. After all, he read books. And not just any books! The kind of books that used words like “engorged” and “throbbing.” He had foolishly thought that he’d read about enough “weeping cocks” that he would know what to do with one when the time came.

So when Gladio had replied that good sex started with the perfect blowjob, Prompto had jokingly asked “how hard do I blow?”

When Gladio had arrived at his house with the zucchini, Prompto couldn’t help but bite the tip off, just to see the horrified look on the Shield’s face.

Things devolved quickly after that. You can only pretend to blow a zucchini for so long before you either give up or give in to the ridiculousness of it and go all out. And Prompto was going all out, bobbing his head back and forth on the squash, saliva dripping out of the corners of his lips when Noct arrived. He could only imagine how ridiculous he looked, but somewhere along the way, he had stopped thinking of it as a vegetable and started actually pretending that it was his boyfriend’s cock. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt heat boil up in his lower abdomen.

He had such an awkward boner.

Noct’s arrival didn’t particularly help matters, as his two friends both had very different ideas about how cocks should be sucked, apparently, and their arguing back and forth quickly became competitive as they resolved to suck each other’s dick to see who was better at it.

Prompto, as the neutral third party, was somehow elected the judge.

Noct side-eyed Prompto as he kissed Gladio and undid his belt. “You don’t actually have to watch if you don’t want to,” he said, gasping for breath. “But this is happening right here, right now, so you either stay or you leave.”

Prompto stayed as Noct got to his knees.

He stayed as Noct tugged Gladio’s pants down.

He stayed as Noct began nipping his way up Gladio’s bare thigh.

He stayed as Noct nuzzled Gladio through his underwear, causing the larger man to tilt his head back and groan loudly as the prince smirked.

He stayed as Noct roughly yanked down Gladio’s boxers and let his breath ghost against the tip of Gladio’s erection as he gave his boyfriend a smoldering look.

He stayed as Noct stuck out his tongue and slowly, ever so slowly, licked his way from the base of Gladio’s dick to the tip.

He stayed as Noct took Gladio in his mouth, one hand gripping his base, the other hand gripping his hip.

He stayed as Noct hollowed out his cheeks and hummed softly, something Gladio really seemed to like, if the noises he made and the way he gripped Noct’s hair were any indication.

He stayed as Gladio became more and more incoherent, curses and barely understandable words falling from his lips like a prayer.

He stayed as Gladio choked out a warning and pushed Noct off of him, gripping himself with one large hand and jerking desperately as he sought his release.

Gods, he had _such_ an awkward boner.

“That was the least educational blowjob in the history of educational blowjobs,” Gladio mumbled as he collected himself and wiped his hands on a tissue. He winked at Prompto as he hauled Noct onto the couch. “Watch and learn, blondie.”

He straddled Noct’s hips and pulled his tank top up over his head, tossing it aside. Then he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend, slowly and sensually, his hands running down Noct’s chest to work up the hem of his shirt.

Noct tangled his fingers in Gladio’s hair and kissed him back briefly before pulling away with an exaggerated groan. “Just get to the good part already,” he demanded.

Gladio snorted quietly, his hands gliding over Noct’s stomach under his shirt. He pulled away just enough to glance at Prompto. “Don’t listen to the impatient jackass over here. Foreplay makes everything better. Trust me. Kisses and little bites...right here…”

He gently tilted Noct’s head back and drew his tongue along his boyfriend’s collarbone before nibbling gently at the juncture of Noct’s shoulder and neck.

Noct groaned loudly and Prompto sat up straighter to get a better look.

“How hard should I bite?” he asked.

“Start gentle,” Gladio instructed with another soft nibble to Noct’s throat. Then he gave a sharper nip to the same spot. “Pay attention to his reactions to figure out if it’s too hard.”

Noctis lazily flopped his head over, both to give Gladio better access and to look over at Prompto. “Hickeys have nothing to do with blowjobs; Gladio’s just a possessive freak.”

“Hickeys,” Prompto murmured softly as he watched with a dazed look on his face. “That’s...hot...”

Noct rolled his eyes and pushed down on Gladio’s head. “Move it along. We’re losing him.”

Gladio huffed quietly, but left Noct’s throat, sliding down to kneel on the floor between Noct’s thighs. He shoved his boyfriend’s shirt up and kissed down his belly as his hands worked at Noct’s belt. Voice muffled against the prince’s stomach, he said, “I doubt Iggy’s as impatient as this jackass, so take your time.”

“Uh-huh…” Prompto mumbled dumbly.

“Are you gonna talk the whole time, or are you gonna blow me?” Noct said, trying to sound cross, but it came out as needy and desperate.

Gladio chuckled as he pushed Noct’s pants aside. Then he froze, staring at his boyfriend’s boxers. “Noct? You, uh, want to tell me why the fuck my face is all over your boxers?”

Noct smirked triumphantly. “Custom print. So I always have you by my dick.”

Prompto let out a huff of laughter. “Do Iggy and I have to get custom boxers, too?”

Gladio sat back on his heels in bafflement. “Uh. Yeah, no. Don’t do that. It’s fucking weird. I’m dating the prince of weird. Astrals help me.”

Noct grinned and tousled Gladio’s hair. “Come on, you love it. Nothing says ‘he’s mine’ like having your face all over your boyfriend’s underwear.”

Prompto raised his eyebrows. “Well, this was far more educational than I ever could have thought.”

“You’re insane,” Gladio said, shaking his head with incredulous laughter. All the same, he stretched up to pull Noct in for a hard kiss. “Lucky I love you.”

Noct gagged. “Don’t tell Ignis you love him during sex, it kills the mood.”

“Only because you don’t know what emotions are,” Gladio shot back with another chuckle. He slid his hands back down Noct’s torso and finally worked his boyfriend’s boxers down. His fingers ghosted across Noct’s hips, trailing ever so lightly toward the prince’s erection. “Again, teasing is great. Don’t let Noct convince you otherwise. He loves it.”

“Oh, gods, Gladio, hurry the fuck up,” Noct gasped, his head thumping heavily against the couch cushions and a desperate keening sound building in the back of his throat.

“Wow,” Prompto remarked idly. “I’ve never seen you beg before, Noct.”

“Shut _up_!” Noct hissed.

Gladio laughed and finally lowered his head. He kissed a line from Noct’s hipbone to his cock, then pressed soft, open-mouthed kisses along one side of Noct’s erection and down the other. Finally, he dragged his tongue along the head and closed his lips around it, sucking gently.

“Oh, Astrals, yes,” Noct groaned, tilting his head back and bucking mildly into the heat of Gladio’s mouth.

Gladio snorted and got his revenge by taking Noct fully into his mouth, giving him one firm suck, and pulling away completely, glancing at Prompto. “So, to stop either of you from choking, make sure you pin Iggy’s hips down before you start. And until you know what he can handle, don’t thrust when he’s sucking you off. Just let him do what he’s going to do.”

Noct whined shrilly as Gladio pulled off his dick. “Gladio, what the fuck?!” he cried, balling his hands into fists.

Prompto nodded and laughed. “Is he always this demanding when you guys have sex?” he asked, then held up a hand to silence Gladio. “Actually, no, don’t answer that. I don’t wanna know.”

Gladio laughed as well and shrugged instead of answering outright. Noct was indeed always this demanding--sometimes worse--but he still loved his demanding jackass of a boyfriend. For some godsforsaken reason.

“Prom, when you’re getting yourself off, you ever touch here?” Gladio asked, running his finger lightly over the moist slit of Noct’s cock.

Noct curled in on himself, swearing quietly as Gladio’s teasing began to reach new levels of unbearable. “Gladio…” he ground out between clenched teeth.

“Uh…” Prompto cleared his throat awkwardly. “I…I…I don’t know, um…what was the question?”

“Mmm. Try it sometime,” Gladio suggested in a murmur, wrapping his lips around Noct to take him into his mouth again. He pressed his nose against Noct’s belly for a moment as he swallowed, throat tightening around his boyfriend’s erection, then he finally took up a slow, steady, teasing rhythm. His fingers slid up Noct’s thigh and dipped down, pressing against that spot behind Noct’s balls that he knew his boyfriend loved.

Noct moaned loudly. “Astrals, Gladio, I love you,” he breathed, not even seeming to realize he said the words. One of his hands came to rest on Gladio’s shoulder, gripping hard enough to turn his knuckles white. The other hand threaded through Gladio’s hair and pulled hard enough to pull out a few strands by the roots.

Gladio grunted at the harsh grip on his shoulder and the sharp pinch in his scalp. He half-glowered up at Noct and pulled away again, partially out of spite and partially to instruct Prompto more. “Iggy told you about the prostate that one time, right? If you’re good, you can hit it while you’re blowing him. See where my fingers are? Just...press right there.”

He accented the words with a firmer pressure on the location in question.

Noct practically sobbed as Gladio pulled off of him. “Fucking hell, Gladio!” He was a writhing mess in his boyfriend’s hands, keening desperately as Gladio pressed against his prostate.

“Oh, huh, that’s very interesting,” Prompto remarked, though he was no longer watching Noct and Gladio. In fact, he was pointedly looking anywhere else as he firmly pressed his knuckle against his mouth. He knew he probably should have left the two alone by now, but something desperate inside of him made him stay, intoxicated by the scene unfolding before him. He had never thought of himself as having a voyeuristic kink. Apparently today was full of surprises.

Gladio glanced at Prompto and couldn’t help the smirk at the poor blond’s expression. He looked like a freckled tomato. Guess that meant he knew who was winning this blowjob competition. He licked a hot line up the underside of Noct’s cock and took him fully into his mouth once more, finally turning his mind toward actually giving his boyfriend relief.

Noct whimpered as Gladio’s hot mouth enveloped him once more. He was _so close_. A couple more deft maneuvers of Gladio’s tongue and he came undone with a silent gasp, followed by a shuddering moan.

Gladio rolled his eyes as Noct came into his mouth, but he gently worked his boyfriend through his orgasm before pulling away. He groped for a tissue and spat the sour-tasting semen into it before settling back on his heels and admiring the view of Noct, sprawled bonelessly on the couch. “Damn, you’re hot.”

Noctis laughed breathlessly as he panted heavily. “Damn right I am.”

“Well!” Prompto stood and clapped his hands together once loudly. “That was very enlightening thank you so much for your time I’ll be right back just gotta take a quick shower you two make yourselves at home well even more than you already have and help yourselves to anything in the fridge bye!” he spouted off rapidly before scurrying out of the room, hoping the two didn’t notice the bulge in his jeans.

He had a very, _very_ awkward boner.

And he needed a drink.


	5. Finally (set during chapter 40)

Prompto took the offered hand and got to his feet. Then, with surprising boldness, he pressed Ignis against the wall and resumed kissing him.

Ignis gasped at the unexpected forcefulness of Prompto shoving him against the wall and kissing him deeply enough to take his breath away. This was _not_ helping their current state in the least. But he wasn’t about to complain. Quite the opposite. He wrapped his arms around Prompto’s waist, pressing them as close together as he could manage. His hands, seemingly of their own accord, slipped up under Prompto’s shirt, gloved fingers tracing firm muscles.

The groan Prompto gave in response was not at all restrained. He placed open-mouthed, sloppy kisses along Ignis’ jaw, moving towards his neck. His hands moved to pull Ignis’ jacket off, but the other man’s position against the wall made it difficult to do so.

Some part of Ignis’ mind knew they probably ought to stop, at least until they made it to the bedroom, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to do so. It felt too good, too sweet, and he wanted the moment to go on forever. He tilted his head back against the wall, giving Prompto access to his throat and collarbone, and arched his back to help Prompto pull his jacket off. Of course, his hands were still doing their own roving up Prompto’s back, so the motion was rather moot.

Prompto gave a soft growl of frustration as the jacket remained stubbornly on. “Come on, Iggy,” he whispered. “Help me out here. I want to feel you.”

Ignis chuckled breathlessly and forced himself to peel his hands away from Prompto’s back. He squirmed just a little until Prompto pulled back enough to allow him to shrug his jacket off and drop it to the floor. Then, surprisingly boldly, he fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until he could peel that off, too.

“Gods, you’re gorgeous,” Prompto whispered reverently before leaning back in to kiss Ignis on the lips again. “This isn’t a dream, right?” he mumbled into this kiss. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.”

“Not unless I am,” Ignis breathed, kissing back with fervor. His hands slid up under Prompto’s shirt again. “Return the favor, darling?”

Prompto reluctantly pulled away from the kiss to grab the hem of his shirt. He hesitated self-consciously before taking a deep breath to pull it over his head. He immediately surged back into the kiss and he hoped it was quick enough to keep Ignis from noticing the stretch marks evident on his stomach.

Ignis had barely a breath to rake his eyes appreciatively over Prompto’s torso before they were kissing again and he crushed Prompto to him once more. His hands slid around Prompto’s waist, inching downward until they found Prompto’s ass. He groaned quietly against his boyfriend’s lips at the feeling beneath his palms.

Prompto gasped against Ignis’ lips as he grabbed his ass. He looked up at him through heavy lashes and chuckled at Ignis’ fogged up glasses.

Ignis chuckled as well and shoved his glasses up on his forehead so he could see again. He spent a long moment simply searching Prompto’s face before leaning in to bravely nibble at Prompto’s earlobe and kiss a line down his throat.

Prompto moaned needily as Ignis’ teeth scraped up against a pulse point in his neck. His hands found their way to Ignis’ hair, where his fingers wound their way through the locks.

Ignis took that as a plea to continue. He pulled Prompto flush against him and twisted until their positions were reversed and he pinned Prompto, one hand still on his boyfriend’s ass and the other braced against the wall. His lips worked down Prompto’s throat, teeth nipping gently, and he licked across Prompto’s collarbone, the salty taste of skin nearly as intoxicating as the kissing itself.

Prompto gasped and tilted his head back. It thudded hard against the wall, but he hardly cared, if the noises he was making were any indication.

Heat rushed through Ignis’ veins at the delicious sounds coming from Prompto’s throat. Oh, Six help him, it was _hot_. He continued his line of kisses downward, but hesitated when he came to the pierced nipples. What would feel good there? Gently, hesitantly, he dragged his tongue over one of the nipples, the barbell tasting hot and metallic.

The noise that Prompto made in response was borderline sinful. Profanities tumbled from his lips and he brought a fist up to his mouth in a self-conscious attempt to muffle the sounds escaping from his mouth.

Ignis’ eyes flicked up anxiously at the words, but the expression he found on Prompto’s face urged him onward. He repeated the action on the other nipple, his hand sliding around to gently cup Prompto’s groin. He was aching already, his pants entirely too tight, but if there was one thing he excelled at, it was putting aside his own desires to look after others. And Prompto certainly deserved looking after.

Prompto’s fist did little to muffle his groan as Ignis palmed his erection. He realized with sudden clarity that if they kept going at this rate, he wasn’t going last much longer, and Prompto wanted more than anything to prolong this as much as possible. Not to mention the fact that he knew how much Ignis was used to giving and he wanted to change that, even if just for a few brief moments.

Those two thoughts gave Prompto the confidence to retake control of the situation, and he spun them around so that Ignis was once again the one pressed against the wall. He lowered his hands to Ignis’ belt buckle and looked at him through his bangs. “I can’t promise I’ll be any good, but…may I?” he asked, licking his lips nervously.

Ignis’ eyes widened a little and his breath caught in his throat. That was unexpected. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been, with the texts they’d shared over the last few days, but there was a difference between a few drunken messages and actually being faced with the possibility. He swallowed hard, his erection begging for release, and nodded against the wall. “P-please.”

Hearing Ignis ask for it, practically beg, did things to Prompto, and he eagerly slid to his knees, making quick work of Ignis’ belt and pants. He was now face-to-face with Ignis’ erection straining against his boxer briefs. Prompto nuzzled against him through the fabric, the thick, heady scent filling his nose, and he took a deep breath to let it wash over him.

Ignis gasped at the nuzzling and he tilted his head back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. He was not going to last long at all at this point. “Prompto…”

In one swift movement, Prompto pulled down Ignis’ underwear, finally revealing his glorious erection. “Gods, that’s amazing,” Prompto whispered, before licking a line up the underside of Ignis’s cock.

Ignis’ breath caught again at the wet heat of Prompto’s tongue on him, sudden and surprising and stunning. He groped for Prompto’s shoulder and squeezed.

Prompto stopped and looked up at Ignis. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Gods, no,” Ignis breathed with a self-conscious little chuckle. He forced his eyes open and looked down at Prompto, love and lust sparkling in his gaze.

Prompto smirked at the look on Ignis’ face and leaned forward again to press soft kisses along his shaft until he reached the head, which he took into his mouth.

Soft whimpers and groans slipped from between Ignis’ lips despite his best attempt to keep them between his teeth. He tilted his head back again, fingers digging into Prompto’s shoulder, and bit his lip as Prompto’s mouth enveloped him. It took every ounce of his self-control not to buck up into that tantalizing heat.

Prompto gripped the base of Ignis’ cock as he took him as deep as he could go. He never quite mastered the art of relaxing his throat, but he did as best he could, only coughing once when he accidentally went too far.

When Prompto coughed, Ignis forced his eyes open and glanced down, a question on his lips. But the words stuck in his throat as Prompto’s tongue dragged roughly and clumsily over the head of his erection. He groaned and ran his gloved fingers through Prompto’s hair, careful not to tug.

It was only moments later that he realized how very close to the edge he was. Heat curled in his belly, begging for release, every muscle in his body trembling with the oncoming pleasure. “Prompto...I...I’m going to…”

Prompto moved his hands to Ignis’ hips to hold him steady. He didn’t stop in his ministrations, his tongue lapping eagerly along the protruding veins in Ignis’ cock. He felt a unique sense of pride at being the one to bring Ignis so close to the edge, and every sound he made sent heat thrumming along his veins. He hollowed out his cheeks and ran his tongue in a circle over the tip of Ignis’ erection in a somewhat desperate attempt to send him over the edge.

It worked. Every muscle in Ignis’ body tensed as the orgasm hit, flooding him with hot pleasure as he exploded into Prompto’s mouth. So much for the warning. His fingers twisted in Prompto’s hair without his conscious agreement and a long, low groan slipped from between his lips.

Prompto drank up Ignis’ seed greedily, like it was the last drink of water and he was a man dying of thirst. Saliva and cum leaked out of the edge of his lips, but he hardly cared, humming softly in delight as he worked Ignis through his orgasm.

Finally, the aftershocks of pleasure wore down and Ignis gingerly pulled Prompto’s head away. He stared at Prompto’s face for a long moment, his eyes heavy-lidded and a stupid smile on his face. Slowly, he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, kicked his pants away, and pulled Prompto to him to kiss him firmly, the salty, almost sour taste of himself heavy on his boyfriend’s lips.

Prompto whined desperately into the kiss, his own erection straining almost painfully against his jeans. It had been easy to ignore until now, as focused as he had been on Ignis and the intoxication of driving him absolutely wild with his tongue alone, but now he was all too aware of the way his cock rubbed up against his boxers, which were now almost completely soaked through with precum.

He broke away from this kiss panting heavily. “Was I good?”

“Bloody brilliant,” Ignis breathed, his hands gliding down Prompto’s sides. He let one slip into Prompto’s lap, ghosting over his fly. “May I return the favor?”

Prompto keened softly, the featherlight touch of Ignis’ fingers against his groin driving all coherent thoughts from his mind. He barely managed to get out a desperate plea of some sort, before he was crushing his lips against Ignis’ in a sort of animalistic desperation.

Ignis kissed back, nibbling on Prompto’s lower lip as his hands fumbled to undo Prompto’s fly. He pushed the fabric of his jeans aside and ran his fingers along the fabric of his boxers. Then he glanced down and swallowed a snort. “Chocobo print, darling? Really?”

Prompto’s ears turned bright red. “If they distract you, I can always take them off.”

“I believe that would be the intent here,” Ignis murmured in agreement, a soft chuckle in the back of his throat. He carefully dipped his hands into the waistband of Prompto’s boxers, awkwardly working them down enough to expose Prompto’s rather magnificent erection. One gloved fingertip brushed ever so gently across the head and he licked his lips despite himself.

Prompto leaned his forehead against Ignis’ shoulder, panting heavily. “Oh, gods,” he breathed out in a shuddering breath.

Ignis nipped at Prompto’s earlobe gently before pulling away. He shifted, gingerly lowering himself to lay on the floor without actually releasing his tentative hold on Prompto’s erection. For a moment, he let his breath simply gust on his boyfriend’s belly, admiring the view. Then, slowly, he wrapped his lips around the head of Prompto’s erection and swirled his tongue around it.

Prompto, who had never done anything quietly in his life, was babbling incoherently at the feeling of Ignis’ tongue on his erection. His hands roamed wildly, from Ignis’ arms, to his shoulders, to his hair, where his hands knocked against Ignis’ glasses, sending them falling back onto Ignis’ face as he wound his fingers through his locks.

Ignis winced a little at the shock of his glasses dropping back onto his nose, but he didn’t so much as pause. His hands slid along Prompto’s thighs, one to grip lightly at Prompto’s hip and one to wrap carefully around the base of Prompto’s erection as his mouth dipped lower.  

Prompto’s babbling grew faster and higher in pitch. “Ig-Ignis…I’m…oh, gods, I--I’m gonna--” he trailed off with a desperate keening sound deep in his throat.

Ignis hummed and gently sucked on the head of Prompto’s erection, his hand stroking firmly along the shaft.

It took only moments for Prompto to come completely undone and he came with a shuddering groan into Ignis’ mouth, his vision blurring and head thumping back against the wall.

Ignis fought the urge to gag at the sudden wave of hot, salty liquid in his mouth and focused instead on ensuring Prompto enjoyed himself. He swallowed convulsively and pulled back, his hand still working gently as he began to kiss along the stretch marks on Prompto’s stomach, working his way back up.

Prompto’s limbs felt like jelly as he tried to come back to his senses. “That…” he tried to say, panting heavily. “That was…”

Ignis hummed quietly in agreement as he kissed back up Prompto’s body to capture his lips once more. He wrapped his arms around Prompto and pulled him close, their skin hot and sweaty as they pressed together. “I love you, you know.”

Prompto grinned lazily as he leaned into Ignis’ warmth. “Are you just saying that because I blew your mind?”

“Of course not,” Ignis murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Prompto’s throat. “I loved you before you blew my mind, darling.”

“Mmm…” Prompto hummed softly. “I love you, too.” He started chuckling softly. “We never made it to the bedroom. Sorry. Guess I got a bit carried away.”

Ignis chuckled as well and nuzzled closer. “I’m afraid I did nothing to help. I suppose I’ll just add deep-cleaning the hall to my list the next time I visit to tidy up.”

“When do you have to get back to the Citadel?”

“Half an hour or so, I imagine. I’ve...rather lost track of time,” Ignis admitted sheepishly.

“You can use the shower upstairs to clean up if you want,” Prompto offered, making no move to get up himself.

“In a moment.” Ignis kissed the side of his throat again. Truth be told, he didn’t particularly want to move.

Prompto twined his fingers through Ignis’ and raised his gloved hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against them. “So, what happened to using your gloves for their intended purposes?” he asked teasingly.

Embarrassment crept up the back of Ignis’ neck and he chuckled self-consciously. “We both got rather carried away, apparently. Though you don’t seem to be complaining.”

“What can I say?” Prompto grinned impishly up at Ignis. “They’re sexy.”

Ignis chuckled again and he buried his face in the crook of Prompto’s shoulder. “If you say so.”


	6. Painful Pancake Problems (set during chapter 53)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some angst to add to your angst!

Ignis unlocked the door to Noct’s flat, a bag of Insomnia House of Pancakes takeout slung over his arm. He slipped quietly inside and locked the door behind him. “Noctis? I brought pancakes.”

Noct, who had been sitting on the couch in his living room and pouting, leveled a glare at Ignis as he entered the room. “What do you want, you...you…” Noct sputtered, trying to find a suitable insult. “...You slut?”

“Excuse me?” Ignis’ eyebrows shot up and he froze in the act of kicking his shoes off. “I know you’re upset, Noct, but is name calling really necessary?”

“You know I’m _upset_?” Noct seethed through clenched teeth. “Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it, fuckhead. Just last night we agreed we would try poly dating, then first thing this morning, you three go out without me, _knowing_ full well that I wasn’t awake yet, and _knowing_ full well that I usually sleep through my phone’s notification sound, and then you have the gall to tell me that it’s my own fault for not being there? You _know_ Gladio is attracted to you, and yet you decided to go on a date with my _boyfriend_ without me!”

Noct folded his arms and stood. “Tell me, how else am I supposed to interpret this, except that you three are trying to cut me out of this thing before it even started?”

Ignis’ eyes widened incrementally as Noct shouted at him. His mind whirled quickly over the morning and he winced. Noctis was right--and, worse, Ignis had missed how the breakfast might be misconstrued. How the hell had he missed that? “Noct...we had no intention to...oh, Astrals, I’m so sorry. I should have realized--”

“Save it,” Noct interrupted. “Take your shitty pancakes and go.” Without waiting for Ignis to reply or make a move, he stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind him.

For another long moment, Ignis stood completely still, staring at Noct’s closed bedroom door. This was a mess. And he couldn’t help but feel like he had caused it. He should have realized how Noct would interpret it. He should have seen the potential consequences.

Finally, he forced himself to move. He finished slipping out of his shoes and padded into the kitchen, tucking the takeout safely into the refrigerator. That taken care of, he crossed to the couch and sat down, dropping his head into his hands.

Ignis sat like that for an indeterminate amount of time, attempting to force his mind into action. There had to be a way to fix this and ensure they never found themselves in a situation like this again. He just had to find it. But he couldn’t think straight.

And when he heard a soft, muffled sob from Noct’s bedroom, his brain entirely shut down. He swallowed hard and forced his head up. “Noct? Are you all right?”

There was silence from the other side of the door, then the sound of feet padding on carpet could be heard and the door opened. Noct’s face was red and blotchy with tear stains running down it.

“I told you to leave!” Noct yelled, chucking a pillow at Ignis’ head and slamming the door again as another sob escaped from his lips. “Just go away.”

Ignis’ reflexes were at least in tact enough to allow him to dodge the pillow, just barely. He blinked at the door for a moment, then sighed and stood, crossing to the door. “Noctis, please. Let me apologize properly.”

There was silence from the other side of the door.

“Noct,” Ignis tried again. When he continued to receive nothing but silence, he sighed and dug his phone out of his pocket. If Noct wouldn’t talk to him in person, perhaps he would respond to a text. “ _Noct? Are you all right? Come out of the bedroom and we’ll talk. Please?_ ”

For a minute, there was no reply, but then:

_“leave me the fuck alone”_

_“you have everything you want, you have Gladio, you have Prompto”_

_“just go”_

Ignis stared at the messages on his screen for a moment. Everything he wanted? Was that what Noct thought? His fingers tapped out his next messages automatically, while his brain was still struggling to comprehend what Noctis meant.

“You wouldn’t pick the lock,” came the muffled reply from the other side of the door. “You’re an asshole, but you’re not the kind of asshole who would invade my space like that.”

“You’re right,” Ignis said just loud enough to assure Noct would hear him. He leaned against the wall beside the door and slid down to sit on the floor, holding his phone loosely in his hands. “But it got you to speak to me.”

There was no response to that, but after a few moments the door slowly opened. Though Noct had stopped crying for the time being, he looked absolutely miserable as he stood there silently, fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he refused to meet Ignis’ gaze.

Ignis frowned up at him for a moment before scrambling to his feet. “Noct…”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, but then Noct let out another choked sob and he threw himself at Ignis, burying his face into Ignis’ chest and gripping tightly to his jacket as his body shook with silent sobs.

Ignis stiffened in surprise for a moment, then automatically wrapped his arms around Noct and pulled him closer. How long had it been since Noctis had clung to him like this? It had been years, he was sure. But providing comfort was still second-nature. His hands ran gentle circles along Noct’s back as he murmured, “Shhhhh. I’m here. I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Noct said, his voice tight. “I broke up with Gladio.”

Ignis pulled away just enough to try and catch Noct’s gaze. “You what?”

Noct only pulled himself closer to Ignis in response, refusing to pull his head away from where it was pressed into Ignis’ now-rumpled shirt. “He just started this whole poly thing because he was too cowardly to break up with me on his own. So I ended it. Ten minutes ago.”

“Oh, Noct,” Ignis whispered. He hugged Noctis tighter, gently rubbing his back, as his mind worked. He couldn’t really believe that Gladio had meant to use the quartet in that way. But he could see how Noctis might feel that way. And, worst of all, he wasn’t at all sure how he could fix it.

“Shall we sit down?” He asked after several long moments, his voice barely more than a breath. “I promise I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

After a brief hesitation, Noct slowly pulled away from Ignis, his hands still gripping tightly to the lapels of his jacket. He nodded slowly, but made no move. “Your shirt’s ruined…” he murmured softly.

“It’s all right.” Ignis gently rested his hands on Noctis’ waist and guided him toward the couch. Somehow, he managed to get them both settled on the cushions, Noct leaning heavily against him and his arms wrapped tight around his prince. He felt as if he ought to say something comforting, but the words stuck in his throat.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you…” Noct said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not really mad at you. Gladio’s the one who’s a dickhead.” He absent-mindedly toyed with an errant thread on Ignis’ shirt that had probably come loose when he had gripped it earlier. “...Did you throw away the pancakes?”

“They’re in the refrigerator,” Ignis murmured, his fingers running gentle, soothing circles along Noct’s back. He decided to gloss over the apology for now; Noct had every right to be angry at him, too, but pointing that out wouldn’t do them any good. “I can reheat them for you, if you’d like.”

“Can you?” Noct asked, shifting to pull himself out of Ignis’ grasp so the other man could get up. “Please?”

“Certainly.” Ignis gave him a small, uncertain smile and slid off the couch. He strode into the kitchen to preheat the oven. Then, after a moment of consideration, filled the kettle and set it on the stove. He rifled through the cabinets for the hot cocoa mix--since he knew Noct didn’t have the ingredients to allow him to make it from scratch--and a clean mug.

Once the powder was in the mug, ready for hot water, he slipped into the bathroom and dug up a clean washcloth. It was quite a feat to avoid spending the time to untangle the towels from that damnable rope Prompto had tied them into, but he managed. He ran the washcloth under warm water and wrang it out, then brought it back to the living room.

Instead of simply offering it to Noctis, he gently took the prince’s chin in hand and tilted his head back to gingerly run the warm, damp washcloth over his cheeks without a word, washing away the tears.

Noct, surprisingly, allowed him to do it without offering any resistance or grumbled complaints, a true testament to the state of mind he was in. Once Ignis was finished, Noct grabbed Ignis’ wrist to stop him from walking back toward the kitchen. “Can you bring me a blanket?”

“Of course.” Ignis gently pulled his wrist away to cross the room. He grabbed a blanket from the foot of Noct’s bed and returned to tuck it tightly around Noct’s shoulders.

Noct pulled the blanket up to his chin and curled into a ball with his head resting against the couch’s armrest. He stared blankly straight ahead as fresh tears silently ran their way down his cheeks.

Ignis hovered over Noct for a moment, at a loss for what more he could do. Then the kettle whistled and the oven beeped and he forced himself to move again.

Soon enough, he set a steaming mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream and a plate of warm strawberry pancakes on the coffee table in front of Noct. After a moment of hesitation, he settled on the couch beside him again, hoping to be some sort of calming presence, at the very least.

After a few moments, Noct slowly sat up, letting the blanket pool around his lap. He picked up the plate with one hand and the fork with the other and began picking absent-mindedly at the food. “Gladio and I used to split these…” he murmured softly, his words barely audible before he stuffed a bite into his mouth and chewed slowly.

Ignis adjusted his glasses and fought the sudden urge to fidget foolishly. Why did he suddenly feel so very much out of his depth? “Noct...perhaps you’ll be able to patch things up in the future. Whether or not you decide to date Gladio again is a question for later, but he is still your Shield. I know it’s likely overwhelming to think about at the moment, but...I imagine splitting pancakes is not so far out of the question.”

Noct hummed noncommittally as he took another bite. His phone chimed on the table and Noct picked it up and frowned when he saw who it was. He threw it back down onto the coffee table in disgust and swallowed before speaking again. “I told Gladio and Clarus and my dad that I was trying to give you a boner, so if they ask, tell them you have a raging hard-on right now.”

Ignis sighed his agreement instead of protesting. If that was what Noctis needed at the moment, that was what he would do. He shifted, scooting incrementally closer to the prince. “Can I do anything else for you at the moment, Noct?”

Noct paused, another forkful of pancakes on its way to his mouth. “That was a joke. I’m not going to make you tell His Majesty that you have an erection.” Noct put the pancakes in his mouth. “But I really did tell him and Clarus I was trying to give you a boner, so if you get in trouble for that, don’t take the blame like you always do; let me handle it.”

Ignis chuckled softly. “I’ll do my best. Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

Noct finished the rest of his pancakes in silence, then he picked up the mug of cocoa and leaned up against Ignis’ shoulder as he sipped it slowly.

Ignis shifted to wrap his arm around Noctis’ shoulders and hold him loosely. After a long several moments of almost-comfortable silence, he whispered, “do you want to talk about it?”

“Mmm, not really…” Noct murmured. All the crying earlier had left him completely exhausted, and at this point he was struggling to keep his eyes open, the half-empty mug of cocoa tipping slightly in his loose grip.

Ignis hummed quietly in reply and pried the mug out of Noct’s fingers. He sat forward to place the mug on the coffee table, then settled back again, pulling Noct closer. “Do you want me to stay? Or should I tuck you in and let you be?”

Noct ‘tch’ed softly. “I’m not a child, Iggy. You can leave if you want.” His words attempted to convey a certain level of nonchalance, but the way he unconsciously clung tighter to Ignis’ shirt as he said it betrayed his true desires.

“I never meant to imply you were,” Ignis muttered, his fingers taking up their soft, comforting circles against Noct’s back again. “I simply wanted to ensure you were comfortable with me staying.”

Noct didn’t reply, as he had already drifted off to sleep, his lips parted slightly as he breathed deeply, light snoring sounds escaping his throat. He snuggled closer to Ignis and mumbled softly, his hair falling in front of his face.

Ignis pulled Noct just a little closer, watching his prince’s sleeping face for a long moment. He tried not to feel guilty about his part in causing this situation and instead focused on just ensuring Noctis was comfortable. He brushed the prince’s hair out of his face and, ever so softly, pressed a kiss to Noct’s forehead.

This was a mess, certainly. But he had to hold out hope that it would all work out somehow. In the meantime, he could at least be the support Noctis needed.


	7. Mall Rescue Anniversary 8D (set between chapters 52 and 53)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mall Rescue Anniversary: 70% fluff, 20% crack, 10% pain.

_The First _

Noct and Gladio walked side-by-side through the mall, their hands brushing on occasion, but never really touching. One of the downsides to being the Prince and the Shield meant that their relationship had to stay secret, no matter how much they might wish otherwise. It was a recurring argument between them: Noct not seeing what the big deal was if people knew, and Gladio insisting that both their fathers would flip their shit--so, for now, they only allowed themselves the slightest of touches: brushed fingers here and there, stolen kisses in out-of-the-way corners, where prying eyes couldn’t see.

As they made their way toward the escalator, a jacket in the window of a nearby shop caught Noct’s eye, and he stopped five paces away.

“Hey, Gladio, I want to…” Noct trailed off as he realized that Gladio, not realizing he had stopped, had already set foot on the escalator. He watched with an unimpressed look on his face as his boyfriend slowly drifted away from him, pulled by the moving stairs. “Gladio…”

Gladio turned on the escalator to ask Noct what they were doing for lunch, but Noct was quickly fading from view. Why the hell wasn’t he on the escalator with him? “Oh, come _on_.”  

“I want to look at that jacket,” Noct said, pointing to the storefront and making no move to get on the escalator.

“We’re going downstairs, Highness,” Gladio groaned, already most of the way down the escalator. “We can look at it after lunch, can’t we?”

Noct folded his arms. “I want to look at it now.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Come on, Noct. It’ll be there in a half hour.”

“You don’t know that,” Noct said stubbornly, leaning against the wall next to the escalator. “Someone might buy it.”

“Just get your ass down here,” Gladio ordered as he stepped off the bottom of the escalator. “I’m not going around to the other freaking side of the mall.”

“You’d better not,” Noct agreed. “If you leave me alone at the top of this escalator I might get assassinated, and then where would we be?”

Gladio folded his arms and glowered up at his prince. “Exactly. So get your ass down here. People are starting to stare.”

And it was true. Passerby had started to slow to watch the shouting match between the two on the different floors. It put Gladio on edge, but Noct was too stubborn to stop.

“I can’t,” Noct said lazily. “I’m scared of escalators now. The stairs move, Gladio; it’s just not right.”

“You little…” Gladio’s scowl deepened. “I swear, if it wasn’t my godsdamn duty to protect you, I’d strangle you. Get down here!”

“You’d strangle me?” Noct turned to the small crowd that had gathered at the top of the escalator to watch the scene unfolding. “You all heard that right, he just threatened the Crown Prince of Lucis!”

The crowd looked at each other uncomfortably and gave small, unsure nods of agreement.

Gladio growled and hoped like hell this didn’t end up in the tabloids later. His father would never forgive him for saying something so dumb in public. “I told you we could come to the damn mall only if you didn’t freaking draw attention to yourself, you dumbass!”

“What’s that?” Noct asked. “You want me to draw attention to myself?”

He raised the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. “Alas, but I am but a delicate Prince stranded atop a tower,” he said loudly. “If only a knight in shining armor would come save me so that I could go look at the jacket in that window!”

“You are such a fucking jackass,” Gladio snarled. All the same, he stalked back to the bottom of the escalator and braced himself for a moment of sheer stupidity. The down escalator was packed, but what choice did he have? He sucked in a deep breath and started running up the moving stairs, dodging from side to side to try and avoid the people simply attempting to ride down. He shoulder-checked a few on accident and called an apology, but somehow managed to reach the top without actually hurting anyone.

Back on the second floor, he stalked to Noct and leaned down to growl in his ear, “You are so fucking lucky I love you.”

Noct blinked, his face taking on an uncharacteristic blush, and swooned dramatically into Gladio’s arms. It was only the dark look on the Shield’s face that kept the bystanders from taking pictures with their phones, so at least they were most likely safe from the tabloids.

“My hero!” Noct cried.

Gladio made a soft, half-frustrated, half-disgusted noise in the back of his throat and unceremoniously dropped the prince. “You’re the worst.”

Noct tried to act indignant, but he couldn’t help but laugh as he got to his feet.

Grabbing Gladio’s arm, he began pulling him in the direction of the store. “To be honest, I didn’t think you were actually going to do that. It was kind of hot, actually; I might let you fuck me right here in the middle of the mall.”

Gladio snorted and rolled his eyes, gently pulling away from Noct’s hold. “You didn’t exactly give me a choice. Highness.”

“Mark this day on your calendar, Gladio,” Noct said with a smirk. “We’re doing this again. Mall Rescue Anniversary.”

“Seriously?” Gladio asked, though this time there was the slightest hint of a chuckle in his voice. Leave it to Noct to turn something ridiculous like this into an anniversary to celebrate.

Noct stopped five feet from the store front, noticing a patch on the jacket that he hadn’t seen from farther away. He promptly turned on his heel and headed back towards the escalator, hands in his pockets. “Nevermind, let’s go get lunch.”

“You are literally the worst,” Gladio repeated in a groan as he followed his prince, running his hands over his face.

 

 

_The Anniversary _

Noct stood at the top of the escalator, in full bright yellow sixteenth century garb, complete with the ruffled collar, tights, and puffy shorts. He clutched a piece of paper in his hand and read from it loudly, much to the amusement and confusion of the other shoppers. “Ay, m--wait, no, Gladio, your line’s first.”

Gladio, who’d somehow managed to stuff himself into an outfit similar to Noct’s but in dark purple, groaned and read off his own page: “‘But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Noctis is the sun.’ Fuck, I’m not reading all of this...okay, skipping toooo…‘See, how he leans his cheek upon his hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!’”

Half of the mall patrons had stopped to watch the ridiculous scene unfolding before them, while the other half awkwardly squeezed by Noct in order to use the only escalator on this side of the mall.

“‘Ay, me!’” Noctis cried loudly, leaning against the railing next to the escalator that allowed him to look down onto the first floor. “‘O, Gladio, Gladio! Wherefore art thou, Gladio!’ Oh!” Noct pointed over the railing to Gladio. “There he is. Hey, everyone, look, that sexy man in tights is my boyfriend,” he said proudly.

Gladio laughed and rolled his eyes, wadding up the piece of paper with the script on it and tossing it into a nearby trash can. “You know ‘wherefore’ means ‘why,’ right, babe?”

“Oh, yeah, Ignis did say some bullshit like that once, didn’t he?” Noct wadded up his own script and threw it at Gladio. “Well, whatever, hurry up and climb the balcony so you can kiss me, already.”

“Sure thing, Highness.” Gladio laughed again and caught the wad of paper, tossing it into the trash can as well. He moved to the bottom of the escalator and took a breath. He’d done it a month ago, but it was still weird to consider running up the down escalator, especially with so many people crowded on it.

“Oh, oh, hang on; if we’re doing this, we need ‘mad dash to the airport to stop your true love from boarding the airplane’ music.” He searched through his phone, and a few moments later [“The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK0z87WrhGo) blasted over the tiny speakers. “Okay, go for it!”

After a large family stepped off the escalator, Gladio jumped on and started running. Halfway up, the toe of his boot caught on the edge of one of the steps. He yelped, reaching out to try and catch himself, but he wound up smacking another mall patron instead of grabbing the handrail, and he went down hard. He managed to keep from hitting his face on the sharp edges of the steps, but that didn’t help his pride or the sting in his knees and palms.

Noct laughed, clutching his stomach. “Are you alright?” he choked out.

“Fuck you!” Gladio shouted as he rode the escalator down for a moment. He forced himself back to his feet and resumed his run, dodging the other people as best he could. It felt harder this time, but maybe that was just because he’d already fallen and made a total dumbass of himself.

Finally, he reached the top and the crowd that had stopped to watch broke out in applause, parting to let him walk toward Noct.

He grabbed Noct, pulled him close, then dipped him and kissed him hard.

Noct hooked one leg over Gladio’s ass as he was dipped and kissed him back just as hard while holding his face.

“Happy Mall Rescue Anniversary, babe,” Gladio muttered as the kiss broke and he straightened, grinning at Noct like a complete idiot. “Next time, can we skip the costumes?”

Noct grinned back, and it was one of those rare occasions where the Prince’s face expressed complete joy. “Oh, no. Next time we’re doing _Tangled_. But I get to run up the escalator, because I’m clearly the Flynn Rider in this relationship,” he said, turning off the music.

Gladio laughed and slid an arm around Noct’s waist to lead him toward the escalator for their promised smoothies. “You running up the escalator kind of defeats the entire purpose of Mall Rescue Anniversary, you know.”

“Nuh-uh,” Noct argued with a haughty sniff. “I made up the anniversary so I get to make up the rules.”

“Bullshit.” Gladio laughed again and kissed Noct’s temple. “The whole damn point is me rescuing you.”

“Ugh, fine. But you have to do it while holding a frying pan.”

Gladio snorted. “As long as I don’t eat it again, sure. I might need some practice.”

“Aw, but you eating it was the best part!” Noct playfully bumped up against Gladio and gave him a cheeky smile.

“Fuck you,” Gladio replied with a chuckle, tickling Noct’s side.

Noct swatted Gladio’s hand away and poked him in the side, causing the other man to squeal in an undignified manner. “Come on,” he said. “If I’m going to suck your dick tonight, then you better order an extra large smoothie.”

“Oh, is that what’s happening tonight?” Gladio asked with a wicked grin.

Noct rolled his eyes. “Unless you’d prefer Prompto do it.”

“I was more thinking about you fucking me outright,” Gladio purred in Noct’s ear, his lips tracing his boyfriend’s earlobe. “Unless you don’t want to.”

Noct put a finger up to his lips thoughtfully, acting completely unaffected by Gladio’s breath against his cheek. “Are you sure you don’t want Ignis to do that?” he asked evenly.

“You saying you don’t want to?” Gladio asked as they stepped off the escalator, his arm still tightly around Noct’s waist.

Noct snorted, but said nothing as they got in line at the smoothie place. When they got to the front, Noct ordered two pineapple smoothies and paid. The cashier glanced at their ridiculous outfits as she made their drinks, but the bored look on her face stated that she literally could not care less. As soon as they received their drinks, Noct took a long thoughtful sip, then looked up at Gladio.

“Actually, I’m not really feeling well,” he said. “I’m gonna head home; do you need a ride, or did you want to do more shopping?”

Gladio glanced up, brow furrowed in concern. “You okay? What’s up?”

Noct waved him off. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired. I had to get up early for that dumb conversation with the Glaives, after all.”

Gladio gave him another concerned, measuring look and took a long sip of his smoothie. Ten-thirty wasn’t early by most standards, but this was Noct they were talking about. “Yeah. Sure. I promised I’d meet Iris in a bit. Text me when you get home?”

Noct handed his smoothie to Gladio. “Will do,” he said with a soft smile. “See you later.” He stood there awkwardly for a moment. “...Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Gladio muttered. He pulled Noct to him for a soft, gentle kiss. “Feel better, babe.”

Noct kissed him back half-heartedly and pulled away, turning to leave. He gave one last wave over his shoulder without turning around as he made his way towards the mall’s entrance.

Gladio watched him go, two pineapple smoothies in hand, and tried not to wonder too much about that kiss. Noct wasn’t feeling well; of course he wasn’t going to kiss like normal. It’d be fine tomorrow, when Noct got over whatever illness was bugging him.


	8. Shirt Stays and Spectacular Sex (set during chapter 55)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some smut to ease the recent pain of the main fic.

Ignis ushered Prompto into his flat as casually as he could manage--which, admittedly, wasn’t terribly casual at all. He’d been floored by the sight of Prompto in the suit for hours now, unable to actually act on his feelings, and the relief of being in a private space meant all his carefully-created composure melted away all at once. As soon as the door was closed and locked, he pressed Prompto up against the wall and kissed him, hard and insistently.

Prompto was utterly confounded by Ignis’ strange behavior all morning, and he decided to ask Ignis about it as soon they reached Ignis’ apartment. “Hey, Iggy, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’ve been acting wei--mmph!” Prompto’s question was cut off as Ignis shoved him against the wall with a surprising amount of force for the usually collected man and proceeded to kiss Prompto’s brains out. Prompto’s lips parted as he moaned deeply against Ignis’ mouth, the jacket slipping off his arm and falling to the floor as he tangled his fingers in Ignis’ hair.

Ignis took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping easily into Prompto’s mouth as he pressed up against his boyfriend. Their breath gusted hot and quick between them as their tongues danced, Ignis’ hands gliding down Prompto’s sides. It took entirely too much effort to peel himself away enough to whisper, “I ought to wash those trousers before they stain. Take them off for me, darling?”

Prompto stared at Ignis with a dazed look on his face as he tried to make his brain process what he had just said. Finally, his mind pieced the words together and Prompto blushed heavily. “Oh, right…yeah, right, we should--of course. Uhm…but…” His voice became strained and he cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes darting to the side in embarrassment. “I…kinda have a boner…”

“That would make two of us, then,” Ignis chuckled softly. He kissed Prompto again, a little rougher, and nipped at his lower lip as he pulled back. “There is, I believe, something we can do about that. After I get those in the wash. If you can be patient for a moment.”

“Oh,” Prompto squeaked. “Yeah, yeah, okay, sure.” He fumbled clumsily with his belt and it took far longer than it should have to get it undone. Once that was accomplished, though, he slipped off the pants, wincing as he remembered the shirt stays he was wearing, and wondering how utterly ridiculous he must look to Ignis.

Utterly ridiculous was the absolute last thing on Ignis’ mind as he stared at the stays, the elastic stark black against Prompto’s creamy skin. His entire being ground quite solidly to a halt, completely transfixed. There was absolutely no reason that sight should have been as sexy as it was, but he simply couldn’t tear himself away. Of course, it didn’t help that the stays and the cut of the dress shirt accented the lovely bulge in Prompto’s boxers.

Finally, Ignis managed to lick his lips and tear his gaze back up to Prompto’s face, though the action was nearly physically painful. “Where in the world did you get those?”

Prompto chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Noct had them? He insisted I wear them for some reason. Said I’d thank him later, whatever the hell that mea--mmph!”

Ignis interrupted him by kissing him yet again. “They look amazing on you, my love.”

Prompto looked at Ignis in confusion. “Really?” he asked, when they broke apart long enough for them to gasp in some air. “You don’t think they look weird?”

“Certainly not,” Ignis murmured, his hands smoothing appreciatively down Prompto’s stomach. Without looking, he undid one of the clips on the shirt stays. “May I make a proposal?”

“Uh…” Prompto swallowed thickly at the hungry look in Ignis’ eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but his clothing seemed to be causing Ignis to have an unexpected reaction and he was now painfully hard from the way his boyfriend kept raking his eyes over his body. “Y-yes?” he answered, his pupils dilating as his mind raced, trying to predict what exactly Ignis had in store for them.

“I would dearly love to fuck you properly,” Ignis whispered against Prompto’s throat, his fingers deftly undoing another of the silver clips. “But it seems more than your trousers are in danger of staining. Do up these stays again while I get everything in the wash, and we’ll see what we can do, hmm?”

At the words “fuck you properly,” Prompto’s mind went completely blank and it was all he could do to nod numbly in response.

Ignis chuckled softly and nibbled at Prompto’s throat as his fingers finished their work. Once the stays were undone, he slid his hands up Prompto’s hips, took hold of the waistband of his boxers, and yanked them down in one smooth, sharp movement.

Prompto yelped as his erection was suddenly exposed to the cool air of Ignis’ apartment.

Gently, Ignis helped Prompto step out of his boxers, then knelt to collect the fallen pants. While he was down there, he daringly licked a hot, wet line up the underside of Prompto’s erection. Then he pulled away abruptly to throw the pants and boxers in the wash and collect the lube and condoms.

Prompto was already a quivering mess as he leaned heavily against the wall. It took all his willpower not to start touching himself and he had all but sobbed as Ignis licked his cock before disappearing out of the room altogether. Prompto fumbled with the clips to get the shirt stays back in place. Once that was complete, he closed his eyes and panted heavily as he tried to control his wild heartbeat as he waited for Ignis’ return. His mind was so clouded that he didn’t even hear his boyfriend finally reenter the room.

Ignis lingered for a moment in the doorway, soaking in the sight of Prompto so thoroughly undone, wearing nothing but a dress shirt and the stays. It was incredibly alluring. Finally, he forced himself to move again. Shifting the small bottle of lubricant and the foil packet of the unopened condom into one hand, he slid the other hand around Prompto’s waist and leaned close, breath gusting across Prompto’s throat. “Are you all right, darling?”

Prompto’s eyes shot open, and he stared at Ignis, pupils completely blown out. If he were in a proper state of mind he probably would have been embarrassed about losing so much control over so little, but luckily he was in just the right state of mind not to care. “Yeah,” he breathed out, his voice hardly more than a whisper. He reached down to palm Ignis’ crotch through his pants, whimpering ever so slightly when he felt the bulge eagerly twitch under his hand.

Ignis smirked at the touch, kissed Prompto’s throat, and gently guided him away from the wall, down the hall to the bedroom. He pressed his boyfriend onto the perfectly-made bed and climbed up beside him. “Roll over, my love. On your belly.”

Prompto hesitated as he looked at the immaculate sheets and then his erection, which was already dripping with precum. “Are-are you sure? Your sheets…” He trailed off uncertainly as he suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious. “Y-you know, you don’t have to do this…if you don’t want to…”

“I’m perfectly aware that I don’t need to,” Ignis murmured. He leaned over to kiss Prompto again, this time more gently and sensually than before. “But I would like to. If you do. Feel free to stop at any time, darling. I won’t be offended.”

Prompto whined in the back of throat as he kissed Ignis in return. “No. No stopping,” he said, finally rolling onto his stomach as Ignis asked.

Ignis took a moment to simply admire the view before leaning over and pressing a series of soft kisses to Prompto’s shoulder blade, through the soft silk of the dress shirt. Part of him wanted Prompto completely undressed for this, but he simply couldn’t forgo the image of screwing Prompto senseless while he wore those damned attractive stays.

He sat back just enough to pull his gloves off, grab the bottle of lube, and pop it open. He drizzled a bit of the slick liquid between the cleft of Prompto’s ass and followed it with a soft brush of his fingers. “Are you sure you’re all right with this, my love?”

Prompto shuddered as he felt the cool liquid run between his cheeks. “Ignis, please...” Prompto begged, his voice shaking as he canted his ass upwards into Ignis’ touch.

Ignis’ breath caught as Prompto begged. He sucked his lower lip into his mouth and bit down to keep himself from making some ungodly noise. Ever so gingerly, paying extreme amounts of attention to Prompto’s reactions, Ignis slowly slid one finger inside his boyfriend.

Prompto tensed for just a moment at the intrusion, but quickly relaxed as Ignis worked his finger in. He let out a shuddering breath that he hadn’t even realized he was holding and let his eyes flutter shut as the sensations washed over him. He had experimented with dildos before while masturbating, but the warmth of Ignis’ skin as he brushed up against his inner walls created a completely different sensation.

Ignis continued to watch Prompto’s reactions as he gently began to stretch and loosen him, adding a liberal amount of lubricant as he slipped another finger inside. He leaned down to kiss along Prompto’s spine through the shirt, whispering sweet nothings.

Prompto’s breath hitched at the addition of the second finger. The first one had been easy enough, but the extra digit made him feel tight and stretched out. It was still nothing compared to the toys he had used in the past, though, and after a few moments, the sensation became pleasant again as he relaxed into Ignis’ touch, a deep moan ripping through him as Ignis’ fingers brushed against just the right spot. “Fuck, Ignis, just add the third already,” he begged, sounding surprisingly demanding in his need.

Ignis chuckled in surprise at the demand, but did as he was asked, gingerly adding a third finger as he continued to stretch and prepare Prompto. He ached in his pants, begging for release, begging for some sort of friction or attention--anything to ease the arousal even just a little--but ensuring Prompto was comfortable and ready was far more important.

It took Prompto a little longer to get used to the third finger, but once he was, he became a writhing mess beneath him, bucking against Ignis’ hand as he sought some sort of release. He gasped open-mouthed against Ignis’ sheets as a cacophony of sounds spilled past his lips. “F-fuck…” he stammered. “Ignis…”

No amount of biting his own lip could help the needy groan that slipped out of Ignis’ mouth as Prompto writhed against his hand. He pressed his fingers in a little deeper, then pulled away completely to finally shuck his clothing as quickly as possible. Gods, the cool air on his erection was a relief, after the pressure in his pants.

“Roll over,” Ignis murmured again as he ripped open the condom and pulled it on.

Prompto did as he was asked, and looked up at Ignis with a glassy expression, his face bright red as he breathed heavily. His eyes wandered appreciatively over Ignis’ form above him, and he gave him a sweet, seductive smile. “Ignis, _please_ fuck me.”

“If you insist,” Ignis breathed. He fumbled with the lubricant again, somehow managing to spread a liberal amount over his own erection as he leaned down to kiss Prompto needily. He only broke the kiss to gently pull Prompto’s thighs apart, hook one leg over his shoulder, and carefully, finally, press into his boyfriend.

The tight heat of Prompto around him made Ignis lower his head and groan despite himself, his breath catching in his chest.

Prompto wrapped his other leg around Ignis’ waist as his boyfriend slowly slid into him. He breathed deeply in order to force himself to relax as he got used to the new sensation--Ignis was bigger than even his largest dildo. It wasn’t painful, exactly, but he could feel a slight strain as he stretched to accommodate Ignis.

Ignis forced himself to stay still for a long moment, his breath already coming in hot, short pants against Prompto’s chest. “Are you all right?”

It took Prompto a moment, but finally he wiggled his hips experimentally and nodded when he didn’t feel any pain. Prompto took the opportunity of having Ignis this close to look deeply into his eyes, smiling at the raw need he could see hidden in their depths. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” Ignis breathed, the words bound up with lust. Gingerly, he began to rock his hips back and forth. The sensation was already nearly too much to bear. Gods, how was Prompto so damn _perfect_? He shifted, bracing his hands on either side of Prompto’s chest, and kissed along Prompto’s thigh, his nose brushing against the elastic of the shirt stays.

Prompto’s head fell back as Ignis thrust into him. “Gods, yes, Iggy. Please,” his breath hitched in his throat as Ignis kissed along his thigh. His cock twitched between them and Prompto couldn’t decide if he should use his hands to pull Ignis’ hips closer or take himself in hand to relieve some of the strain. In his indecision, his hands wandered from Ignis’ chest, where they brushed softly against his nipples, down to Ignis’ waist, and then back up again as they sought a place to settle.

Ignis gasped as Prompto’s fingers brushed against his nipples again and again. He couldn’t really tell if Prompto was doing it on purpose or not, but it didn’t particularly matter when it felt that good. Slowly, his thrusts grew a little faster, a little deeper, and he shifted again to attempt to hit Prompto’s prostate as the pleasure grew, threatening to overwhelm him. Despite his best efforts, Ignis bit down on the inside of Prompto’s thigh to try and muffle the ungodly noises he was making.

Prompto cried out as Ignis found the right angle to hit his prostate, his back arching up, pressing him closer to Ignis. He lowered one hand to fist it into the sheets, the other pinching hard against Ignis’ nipple as he felt teeth scrape against the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh. “Ignis…” he gasped out. “Please…” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was begging for--to be touched, to cum, or to have this moment go on forever--but he was finding it near impossible to form a single coherent thought.

Ignis made a soft, strangled little noise at the sharp pinch to his nipple and the arch of Prompto’s back. The pleasure built in his gut, hot and sensual, and all he could do was hold on as it pushed him over the edge without warning. He gasped and groaned against Prompto’s thigh, buried to the hilt inside his boyfriend, every muscle in his body twitching with the overwhelming sensation.

Prompto could feel a rush of heat inside him, even with the condom. He was able to put his own pleasure aside long enough to kiss Ignis gently and rub his arms as his boyfriend shuddered above him.

Ignis kissed back automatically, breathing hard against Prompto’s lips. After a long moment, his faculties returned and he pulled back, carefully sliding free. He groped blindly for the tissue box on the bedside table to clean himself up a bit before giving Prompto his own release. His heart still pounded at the base of his throat as he wrapped the used condom in a tissue and tossed it into the bin at the foot of the bed.

Prompto watched Ignis with a dazed expression on his face. “That…was amazing.” Unable to wait any longer, he took himself in hand and began working himself furiously, chasing his own release.

“Ah, no,” Ignis murmured, gently grabbing Prompto’s wrist. He smiled stupidly and kissed Prompto gently, his other hand inching across Prompto’s hip to take hold of the base of his boyfriend’s erection. “I’m not done with you quite yet.”

Prompto whined as Ignis pulled his wrist away only for it to turn into an unabashedly loud moan as Ignis gripped him instead. His hips bucked up into his hand and he whimpered softly.

Ignis gave him a few firm strokes before shimmying down the bed to settle between Prompto’s thighs and take him into his mouth. He ran his tongue around the tip of Prompto’s erection and set himself to ensuring his boyfriend enjoyed himself rather thoroughly.

Prompto was once again reduced to a writhing mess. It didn’t take long until he was on the edge, choking out a barely coherent warning to Ignis.

Ignis didn’t pull back, but redoubled his efforts, his fingers tangling with the elastic of the shirt stays on Prompto’s thighs. He worked Prompto through the orgasm with his lips and tongue, then slid up to pull Prompto in his arms and hold him tight, kissing his temple over and over.

Prompto leaned heavily against Ignis, his entire body lax and pliant as Ignis kissed his temple. “That...that was…” Prompto struggled to find the words to describe it, settling instead for humming happily as he nuzzled closer to Ignis. “Thank the Astrals my shirt didn’t come untucked,” he giggled.

Ignis chuckled and pulled him flush against him. His heartbeat was finally beginning to calm, allowing him to simply enjoy the soft moment. “I love you, Prompto.”

“I love you, too,” Prompto murmured slowly, as he drifted off to sleep.

Ignis smiled to himself, kissed Prompto’s temple once more, and let himself relax into the pillows.


	9. Walk Tall (set during chapter 61)

The morning sun was just hitting its peak as Noct and Regis settled on the pier, a tackle box opened to proudly display all of its brightly colored lures between them. Though located in the heart of the Citadel, the lake they were on was surprisingly peaceful. Surrounded by a well-kept garden lined with high trees, Noct found it easy to forget that he was in the middle of the city, save for the faint noises of hustle and bustle that reached his ears.

Noct glanced over at his father next to him and nearly groaned. Regis was dressed casually in a white t-shirt and a vest that had (by Noctis’ count) at least twenty different pockets. His bright red shorts were loose and baggy, and Noct could swear that they were actually swimming trunks. The whole ensemble was topped off with a beige, wide-brimmed, floppy hat, with about a dozen different ‘I <3 fishing’ buttons pinned to it.

Noct quickly snapped a picture with his phone and texted it to Prompto.

His phone chimed a moment later and Noct unlocked it to find that his traitorous best friend had responded with ‘ _lol, @ least we know where u get ur fashion sense from. :)_ ’

Noct looked down at his own outfit, a white t-shirt with a puffy silver vest that shimmered in the sun, blue jeans, and a baseball cap. Nothing wrong with that. ‘ _the hell are you talking about?_ ,’ he texted back.

Regis had finished spooling his rod and was picking out a lure, giving Noct a careful sideways glance as he did so.

Noct ‘tch’ed in annoyance. “Stop looking at me like that,” he grumbled with a frown. “I’m fine.”

Regis raised one eyebrow. Even here, with all their guards manning the gates to the garden, where they couldn’t see the king or his son, he held himself with such grace and dignity that Noct found himself wondering, not for the first time, how he was ever supposed to fill those shoes. “I never said you weren’t,” Regis stated simply before casting his line in one graceful, fluid motion.

Noct’s frown twisted into a pout. His father had him there, and by assuming otherwise, Noct had basically just admitted he wasn’t fine. He silently finished respooling own rod, tied a lure onto the end, and cast it. He slowly reeled it in, making the lure dance on the water to try and catch the attention of the fish.

Regis did the same beside him, content to just wait until Noct was ready to talk. They sat in silence, recasting their lines every so often as they got closer to the dock.

Finally, after his fourth cast with no bite, Noct flicked his wrist to dematerialize his rod and hugged his knees close to his chest, resting his head atop them.

Regis glanced over and finished reeling in his rod before setting it beside him on the pier. Silently, he rested one hand on Noct’s shoulder, idly rubbing his thumb back and forth comfortingly.

Noct continued gazing out at the water as he took a deep breath and spoke. “I always ruin everything.”

Regis gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and he pressed on. “I don’t…I don’t know what’s wrong with me, why I can’t just behave like a normal person. Why I can’t just _feel_ like a normal person. Normal people…” He sighed. “Normal people don’t push away the ones who care about them most.”

“Is that what you think you’ve done?” Regis asked softly. “Pushed away Gladio?”

“I broke up with him,” Noct said, picking a blade of grass and twisting it between his fingers. “Seems pretty ‘pushing away’ to me.” Angrily, he threw the blade of grass into the lake. He watched the ripples it made on the surface of the water before his hand reached for another.

Regis gave Noct a small smile. “I highly doubt there’s anything you could really do to push that boy away.”

Noct snorted. “Yeah, because he’s my Shield--”

“Because he’s your friend,” Regis said firmly. “And he loves you.”

At Noct’s silence, Regis raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me.” It was a statement, not a question. “Is this due to the fact that you were going to try for a polyamorous relationship with Prompto and Ignis as well?”

Again, Noct said nothing.

“Do you not want that kind of relationship?”

Noct sighed. “I don’t know what I want,” he admitted at last.

“Well, then I daresay, you should have said something to your friends. They would have understood.”

Noct slammed his fist against the dock. “I know!” he cried. “I know that, alright?! I know that I’m a failure as a Prince, as a boyfriend, as a person--I mean, gods--what kind of asshole can’t even talk about his own feelings? But I just can’t, okay? I don’t know how, and I’m sorry if that makes me a disappointment to everyone.”

Regis, rather than interrupting, waited until Noct was finished, for which Noct was grateful. Somehow, after that outburst, he felt marginally better.

“Noctis, you are not a disappointment to everyone,” Regis said, looking at Noct with a sad smile. “And you are certainly not a disappointment to me. I realize that your birthright puts a great deal of pressure on you, but I want you to know that I will be there for you every step of the way.”

Noct looked at his father, looked at the bracer on his leg, at the lines on his face, at that tired look that always seemed to linger in his eyes lately. “But what if you’re not?” he whispered, and it sounded far smaller and more scared than he meant it to.

“Then you will have Ignis and Gladio and Prompto to guide you,” Regis said softly. “You are not alone in this, my son.”

“What if we’ve destroyed that, though?” Noct asked. “With all this relationship bullshit?”

Regis snorted softly. “My Council would say that this is the problem with a Prince pursuing a romantic relationship within his Crownsguard. But, alas, those old fools do not seem to understand that the heart cannot choose whom it loves.” He glanced at Noct. “You do love them, I assume?”

“I mean, yeah, obviously,” Noct said. “But I don’t think I love Ignis and Prompto the same way I love Gladio. And if we were planning on dating, then shouldn’t I?”

“Frankly,” Regis said. “I would be surprised if you did.”

Noct frowned. “What do you mean?”

“No two people are the same, correct?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So,” Regis said patiently. “Why would you expect to love them the same way?”

Noct blinked. That made a surprising amount of sense.

“But…what if I don’t love them as much as I do Gladio?” Noct asked, summoning his fishing rod again and untying the lure from it. “What if I _can’t_? How can I possibly love three people at once?”

“The heart’s capacity for love is not finite, Noctis,” Regis said. He was silent for a while, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

Noct pulled a new lure from the tackle box and tied it to his line. When he was sure it was secure, he pulled the rod back to cast it.

“You know, Clarus and I were in a relationship, once, a long time ago.”

The rod slipped out of Noct’s fingers and twirled through the air a few times before landing in the lake with a distinct ‘plunk,’ where it slowly sank out of sight.

“...That was my favorite rod…” Noct mumbled. He turned to his father to see Regis laughing silently beside him. “You did that on purpose,” Noct said, narrowing his eyes in accusation.

“I did no such thing,” Regis said, though the twinkle in his eye suggested otherwise.

“So…you and Gladio’s dad, huh? That’s…weird.” Noct made a face. “That doesn’t make him, like, my brother, does it?”

Regis gave Noct a flat look. “I really should have a talk with Ignis, if you have such a poor understanding of biology. I think a remedial course on the reproductive system may be in order.”

Noct blanched at the idea of receiving a sex talk from _Ignis_ of all people. “No! No thanks! I’m good!”

Regis chuckled. “It was when we were very young. We took a trip outside of Insomnia. To Accordo, to secure an alliance. It…ended poorly, but the trip itself is something that remains one of my fondest memories to this day.” Regis turned to Noct and smiled. “Second only to the birth of my son, of course.”

Noct groaned and softly shoved Regis. “Daaad, that’s so embarrassing.”

Regis grinned mischievously. “No, this is embarrassing.” He pretended like he was strumming a guitar and in a deep voice sang out loudly. “Waaalk taaaaalllllllllll! Walk tall, walk straight and look the world right in the eyyyyeeee. That’s what my mama told me, when I was about knee high. She said, son, be a proud man and hold your head up high!”

“You are literally the worst,” Noct said, though the fact that he was laughing took the sting out of his words.

It took him a few moments to collect himself, but when he did, he gave his dad a confused look. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I also met your mother on that same trip,” Regis said. “I loved her, too. And it turned out that the love that I felt for her didn’t change the love I felt for Clarus.”

“So…” Noct said slowly. “It is possible to love three people at once…without having to pick favorites?”

“It is.” Regis nodded. “That isn’t to say that you’ll get there right away. But to be loved by one person is a blessing. To be loved by many, even more so. Now, I’m not saying that you should or should not give this thing a chance, but whatever decision you make, you should feel confident that your friends will love you and stand by you, regardless.” Regis gave Noct a reassuring smile. “As for you and Gladiolus, I don’t think that boy meant to hurt you. And I am certain that you didn’t mean to hurt him. Maybe you can patch things up between the two of you?”

Noct sighed and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “Maybe if I could figure out how to talk about my feelings.” He heard a soft chuckle to his left and turned to see that Regis was watching him with an amused expression. Noct narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“My son,” Regis said patiently. “We just spent a good forty minutes talking about your feelings.”

Noct blinked. “Well, shit.”

Regis clapped a hand on his back. “I think, that when the time comes, you’ll do just fine.” He gestured towards the trees, and an attendant rushed forward, carrying a new rod for Noct. “Now, how about a little friendly competition, hmm? See who can catch the largest fish. Winner gets to come up with a fitting punishment for the loser?”

Noct grinned. “You’re on, old man!”


	10. Let Me Love You (set during chapter 65)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger/squick warning: this chapter contains some light body worship. If that's a problem for you, please skip this scene!

Once in the bedroom, Ignis gently deposited Prompto on his bed and kissed him again--slow, sensual, and gentle. His hands slid down Prompto’s sides, but didn’t start working on removing his boyfriend’s clothes just yet. Gingerly, his fingers massaged Prompto’s waist and back, as his tongue danced with Prompto’s.

Prompto’s eyes fluttered shut as Ignis kissed him. It took only a few seconds for all his worries to fade away, and honestly, Prompto would have been perfectly content kissing Ignis like this forever. Being like this with Ignis--with their bodies pressed close, arms wrapped around each other, lips moving in perfect sync as if it were a dance they had rehearsed a hundred times--Prompto finally, for what was possibly the first time in his life, knew what it felt like to be home. He found himself wondering just what had made him doubt that he could belong anywhere but here, that they belonged anywhere but together.

Ignis kissed him for a long time, keeping the contact gentle and reassuring. Finally, though, he pulled his lips away and kissed a soft line along Prompto’s jaw, down his throat, and over his collarbone. His hand very gently began working Prompto’s shirt up, gloved fingers gliding along hot flesh as they went.

“Ignis,” Prompto gasped, the name falling past his lips in a reverent whisper. His stomach twitched lightly beneath the touch, the muscles rolling gently against his fingers.

Ignis paused and pulled away just enough to meet Prompto’s gaze, the shirt hiked up around Prompto’s chest. In a voice barely more than a breath, he asked, “You all right, darling?”

Prompto smiled at Ignis, trying to pour all of the warmth he felt in that moment into it. “With you?” he whispered back, pulling Ignis down to meet his lips in a tender kiss. “Always.”

“I love you,” Ignis whispered against Prompto’s lips. Then he pulled back to work Prompto’s shirt off completely. He dropped it elegantly to the floor, gaze raking down Prompto’s torso. He made a show of licking his lips and ran his hands down his boyfriend’s stomach, letting his fingertips linger along the stretch marks. “You’re so beautiful.”

Prompto’s first instinct was to look away and fold in on himself as Ignis looked down at him, but something in his lover’s gaze prevented him. Heat grew in his chest as Ignis licked his lips. As Ignis ran his fingers along the stretch marks, something within him--some flood of emotions that he had been holding back--broke, and Prompto couldn’t help the strangled sob that slipped past his lips. He had to clap a hand over his mouth to prevent more from escaping. Ignis had seen one of his biggest insecurities and had looked at it like it was pure perfection.

Ignis smiled sadly at the sound Prompto made. He slid his hand back up Prompto’s chest, over his throat, and up to cup his cheek. “I mean it, Prompto. You’re stunning. Now, would you do me a favor? Take your trousers off and lay back for me, my love.”

Prompto, instead, continued laying the bed, hand still clapped over his mouth, trying to get his emotions under control.

“Prompto?” Ignis asked in a whisper, concern settling on his shoulders like a heavy cloak. He gently traced Prompto’s cheekbone with his thumb, frowning down at him. Had he made a mistake in this attempt to make Prompto feel as beautiful as Ignis thought he was? “Are you all right? Should I stop?”

Prompto said nothing, but he sat up quickly and wrapped his arms tightly around Ignis in a desperate hug. “Thank you, Iggy,” he whispered, tears running down his face. “Thank you.”

“Whatever for?” Confused and worried, Ignis hugged back tightly, pressing Prompto to him. He’d barely started what he’d had planned, but he could set that aside if Prompto wanted or needed something else. His hands gently rubbed his boyfriend’s back.

“For…for being you, I guess,” Prompto answered, pulling away just enough to cup Ignis’ face tightly and press a wet kiss to his lips. “For loving me.”

“Thank _you_ for loving _me_ ,” Ignis whispered in reply, kissing him again. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he whispered. His lips trailed down Ignis’ throat until he reached his nipple and he stopped to lavish it with attention. He reached down to grope Ignis again, fully intending to resume where he had left off before Ignis had brought up the emails.

Ignis made a soft, strangled noise at the sudden attention, but gently pulled Prompto away again. “I don’t think so, darling. I have a plan for pampering you this evening, and I’ll not let you distract me.”

Prompto gently scraped his teeth against Ignis’ nipple before pulling away to look up at Ignis. “If you insist,” he said, the smirk on his lips suggesting he didn’t actually plan to give up just yet.

Ignis shivered and closed his eyes a moment. Then he pulled away completely, standing beside the bed and unfastening the wrist straps of his gloves. “Trousers off, if you please.”

It didn’t take Prompto long to shimmy out of his pants and toss them to the floor. He left his boxers on, though. They were a gift from Noct, and had Ignis’ face repeated across them.

Ignis glanced up from removing his gloves and shrugging out of his shirt and couldn’t stop the groan at the sight of Prompto’s boxers. “Is that strictly necessary?”

Prompto linked his hands behind his head and reclined back against the bed. Ignis’ acceptance of his stretch-marks had given him a sort of confidence high and he couldn’t help the cheeky grin that spread across his face. “Noct got ‘em for me. You like ‘em?”

“They’re utterly ridiculous,” Ignis replied with a incredulous little chuckle. He shook his head and wriggled out of his own pants and briefs, kicking them and his shirt aside. “I’m not sure if I ought to be flattered or worried about your obsession.”

“Oh, flattered, defi--” Prompto said, the words dying on his lips as he looked up to realize that Ignis was completely naked. The sight never failed to leave him completely stunned, and this was no exception. “Gods, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, gaze transfixed on Ignis.

Ignis chuckled self-consciously and crossed back to the bed, leaning down to steal another soft, lingering kiss. His hand slid down Prompto’s stomach to carefully begin working the idiotic boxers down. “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

“Noooo,” Prompto whined softly as his fingers tangled in Ignis’ hair. “Leave the boxers. I like the boxers. Fuck me through the boxers.”

Ignis pulled back again and gave Prompto a dry look. “I am not having sex with you while you’re wearing my face on your boxers.”

Prompto laughed at the look on Ignis’ face and held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, you win.” He helped Ignis remove the boxers and kicked them off the side of the bed. He was already half-hard just from kissing Ignis.

Once Prompto was entirely naked, Ignis spent another moment simply soaking in the sight of him. It really was a shame Prompto was so anxious about his body. Perhaps tonight would help. He trailed his bare fingers across Prompto’s hip, brushing ever so slightly across his cock for a moment. Slowly, he crawled onto the bed, straddling Prompto, and lowered his head to take up his gentle kisses again, trailing over his boyfriend’s collarbone and down. He lingered on Prompto’s nipples, playing idly with the piercings with his tongue, his fingers tracing the stretch marks along Prompto’s belly over and over.

Prompto brought a hand up to his mouth to stifle the low moan that rumbled deep in his throat as Ignis’ tongue worked its magic. He was getting harder with every lick and and couldn’t help but squirm beneath Ignis.

Ignis chuckled softly at Prompto’s squirming. He moved away from Prompto’s nipples, kissing down his chest and stomach until his mouth was even with the stretch marks Prompto hated so much. Down one of them, Ignis pressed a line of soft kisses. He licked up the next, and ran his fingers across another. He lingered for a long time, kissing, licking, whispering variations on “I love you” and “you’re beautiful” and “these are lovely” every time his mouth left Prompto’s skin.

Ordinarily, Prompto would have been mortified about the amount of attention Ignis was lavishing upon his stretch marks, but there was something so sensual about the adoration Ignis was showing him that Prompto just couldn’t bring himself to ask him to stop.

Ignis’ gaze flicked up to Prompto’s face as he continued lavishing attention where he felt Prompto most needed it. Finally, however, he kissed his way back up to Prompto’s lips. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

Prompto kissed Ignis back. “And you have no idea how much I love you.”

“Do you still feel disgusting, my love?” Ignis whispered between kisses, his fingers trailing lightly across Prompto’s hip.

Prompto hummed thoughtfully, considering the question. “Not as much as I did.”

“It appears I still have work to do,” Ignis replied lightly. He kissed Prompto once more, then slid back down to pick up where he left off, worshipping every inch of Prompto’s body with his lips and tongue and fingertips.

Prompto was now fully erect, and every touch of Ignis’ lips, every drag of his tongue, was driving him wild. It was almost over-stimulating, and Prompto gave a breathy laugh as he wriggled underneath Ignis. “Alright, I yield, you win! You win!” he said, even as his body arched against Ignis against his will. “I don’t feel disgusting anymore.” He looked down at Ignis with a fond smile. “Can I suck your dick now?”

“I’m afraid not,” Ignis muttered with a soft chuckle, turning his head so his breath gusted soft and hot against Prompto’s erection. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side, then pulled away to fumble in the bedside table for the lube and a condom. “I’ve another plan, if you don’t mind.”

Prompto sat up excitedly as Ignis pulled out the lube and condom. “I’m listening.”

“Don’t listen, darling. Watch.” Ignis chuckled softly as he returned to straddling Prompto’s thighs. He ripped open the condom and, slowly and sensually, rolled it onto Prompto’s erection as they kissed again. Gently, he pressed his boyfriend back onto the bed and set about making quite a show of preparing himself to take Prompto inside him. He wasn’t normally the receiving partner, but he had been thinking of this and working himself up to it for days now, and he had a feeling Prompto would enjoy it.

Prompto watched completely transfixed as Ignis slowly stretched himself. “Do you…” he tried to speak and found that his mouth had gone dry. He licked his lips and tried again. “Do you want me to…?”

Ignis smirked softly and gasped just a little as he pulled his fingers out of himself. He leaned forward to kiss the corner of Prompto’s mouth. “I want you to lie back and relax, my love. Can you do that for me?”

Prompto nodded quickly and shifted to lie back, his elbows propped under him to allow him to continue watching Ignis.

Ignis kissed his cheek and sat up again, trailing his fingers down Prompto’s stomach once more. Only this time, he didn’t stop when he reached his boyfriend’s member. Instead, he gingerly took it into his hand, running his thumb across the head a few times, then carefully lined himself up. He sucked in a breath and carefully, slowly, lowered himself onto Prompto. It ached, but it wasn’t altogether an unpleasant sensation.

It took all of Prompto’s self-control not to throw his head back and moan wantonly as Ignis sank down on him. It was only a raw need to watch Ignis as he took him in that kept his eyes transfixed on the other man. Instead, he bit his lip and whimpered as Ignis’ warmth caressed his cock.

“All right?” Ignis breathed as his body adjusted to the intrusion. His heart pounded in the base of his throat, his erection throbbed, and each breath was raw and rough in his lungs. But the look on Prompto’s face was simply intoxicating.

“I think…hah…” Prompto panted, his arms shaking beneath him as he struggled to continue holding himself up. “I think that should be my question to you. Are you okay?”

Ignis smiled and nodded, but what he had meant to be “I’m quite all right” came out as a breathy, incoherent moan as he shifted. It had been quite some time since he’d been in this position, and this was far more enjoyable than it had been the last time. He ran his hands down Prompto’s chest, gently twisting one of the nipple piercings between his fingers, and slowly ground his hips against Prompto’s. His eyes fluttered shut and he dropped his head at the sensation of Prompto’s erection inside him, hot and full.

Prompto groaned as Ignis teased his nipples. The sight of Ignis above him, clearly enjoying the sensations of Prompto inside of him, was gorgeous beyond words. It was almost enough to make Prompto come right then without Ignis even moving.

Slowly, Ignis began to rock back and forth, his hands braced against Prompto’s chest. He shifted, leaning back a little, and gasped as the position pressed Prompto into his prostate, sending shocks of pleasure through his entire body.

Prompto’s arms finally gave out and he collapsed against the bed, “Ig...nis….” he moaned, moving his hips in time with Ignis’, rocking to thrust up into him.

Ignis bit his lip to try and stifle the soft, strangled groans as they moved together, but it didn’t work. Every thrust pushed Prompto deeper into him, harder against his prostate. Hesitantly, a little shakily, he peeled his hand off Prompto’s chest to wrap around himself and stroke his own erection in time with their thrusts. Fuck, it felt so much better than he remembered.

Prompto gently brushed Ignis’ hand away and wrapped his own hand around his boyfriend’s cock. He rubbed his thumb across the slit to smear precum along the shaft. His strokes were erratic at first as he tried to match their rhythm, but he quickly found his pace.

“Fuck,” Ignis breathed despite his best effort to keep the word behind his teeth. He clenched around Prompto’s erection and another little curse dripped from his lips.

Prompto gritted his teeth to bite back another groan. He was so close, but he didn’t want it to be over just yet. He sat up, and kissed Ignis. It was a mess of open mouths and clashing teeth as they lost themselves in their passion. With his free hand, Prompto reached forward to softly cup Ignis’ balls, fondling them gently.

That tipped Ignis over the edge. His back arched, driving Prompto into him, and he tossed his head back as the pleasure ripped through him. He spasmed around his boyfriend, exploding into Prompto’s hand.

Hot cum leaked onto Prompto’s belly, but he hardly noticed it as Ignis’ release drove him to his own pleasure. He collapsed against the bed, shuddering as his cock emptied into the condom.

When Ignis came back to his senses, he gingerly rolled off Prompto and grabbed a tissue to clean them both up a bit. Once that was finished, he lay down and pulled Prompto to him, kissing him tenderly.

“Gods, that was amazing,” Prompto murmured contentedly. “You’re amazing. How are you so amazing?”

“I assure you, it’s only because you bring out the best in me,” Ignis whispered against Prompto’s cheek, his fingers drawing lazy circles along Prompto’s arm.

Prompto hummed happily and nuzzled closer to Ignis.


	11. Reunion (set during chapter 65)

Gladio and Noct lay on the couch together for a long time after they finished texting Ignis and Prompto, dozing and cuddling and occasionally murmuring sappy thoughts to each other. Eventually, Gladio shifted, poking Noct in the side. “Move your ass. My arm’s gone to sleep.”

Noct shifted slightly, allowing Gladio to free his arm.

“Don’t poke me,” he grumbled, poking Gladio back.

Gladio squealed despite himself, then chuckled and shook his arm out in a weak attempt to return feeling to his fingers. “Maybe we should get off this couch eventually…”

Noct buried his head deeper into Gladio’s chest. “Why?” he mumbled. “‘M comfy.”

“Because your bed is even more comfortable,” Gladio murmured, one hand running gently up and down Noct’s spine. “Want me to carry you?”

Noct hummed thoughtfully. “If you must.”

“Could just dump you on the floor and go to bed all by myself,” Gladio suggested with another soft chuckle.

Noct lifted his head to give Gladio a tired glare. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Gladio grinned in reply and sat up a little to kiss him. “So...you going to come to bed with me or what?”

Noct frowned. “Do you mean to bed or… _to bed_?”

Gladio took a breath and searched Noct’s face for a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “What do _you_ want, babe?”

Noct narrowed his eyes. “...It’s not just about the sex,” he said finally. “We cuddle. I’m a cuddler now. Cuddling gets me off.”

“Oh, yeah? Need to get you some clean boxers, then?” Gladio teased, his hand smoothing down Noct’s back again.

“No,” Noct said stubbornly. “I like to soak in my own jizz. It empowers me.”

“Gross.” Gladio pulled a face and wrapped his arms around Noct, steadying the prince as he sat up and swung his feet to the floor. He peppered soft, little kisses along Noct’s jaw. “How’s this: we go cuddle in bed and play it by ear?”

“You want me to play with your ears?” Noct asked. “Odd request, but okay.” He shrugged.

Gladio snorted and nipped gently at Noct’s throat. “I meant let’s just see what happens, and you know it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to explore this ear fetish?” Noct asked. “Could be something there…”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Gladio laughed. He slid his hands down to tuck under Noct’s thighs and pick him up as he stood. “There’s something we’ve never really done before that I think I want to try, though…”

Noct leaned closer into Gladio’s hold. “Yeah? What’s that?”

Gladio swallowed as he carried Noct toward the bedroom, suddenly second-guessing what he’d meant to say. No, he reminded himself, they were supposed to be honest with each other now. After a moment, he managed to whisper, “You know how we used to fuck earlier? It was all kind of...fast and desperate, right? I want...if you’re down, I mean...I want to try it slow. You know, like...okay, the sap’s coming out--don’t laugh--but…‘making love’ instead of just having sex. You know? Not tonight, if you’re not feeling it, but...sometime.”

Noct didn’t laugh. He pulled away to study Gladio’s face. “Yeah…” he whispered. “Yeah, I think I’d like that…but what about…you know…the whole...you know. You feeling like I was just in it for the sex bit?”

“You just cuddled me for like three hours,” Gladio murmured, kissing him gently. “We’ve never really done that before, and it was damn nice. I think I’ll be okay.”

Noct pouted. “Gladio, I’m serious. I don’t want to make you feel like that again.” His face turned bright red as he spoke. Being this honest was still new to him.

Gladio carefully set Noct on the bed and crawled up beside him, pulling the prince back into his arms. He nuzzled into his boyfriend’s shoulder as he considered. It was kind of a huge step for Noct to actually take those words to heart and be concerned about it. After a long, long moment, he whispered, “As long as we keep talking like this, you won’t. And I’ll say something if it _does_ happen. Promise.”

Noct’s pout turned thoughtful. “Will you, though?” he whispered softly. “Talking about these issues is still pretty new for both of us…”

“I’ll write you shitty poetry about it,” Gladio promised, his voice muffled by Noct’s shoulder as he pressed a soft kiss to it. “I want to have sex with you again eventually, babe. We’ll have to figure it out at some point. Even if it’s not tonight.”

“No...it can be tonight…if that’s what you want.” Noct twisted in Gladio’s arms to look him in the eyes. “Just...swear to me, okay? That you’ll say something?” He held out his pinky finger. “I mean it, swear to me.”

Gladio’s eyebrows lifted at the extended pinky, but he wrapped his finger around Noct’s. “Swear on my honor as your Shield I’ll say something. If you do, too.”

Noct smiled softly. “I promise.” He pulled their intertwined pinkies close to his chest and leaned forward to capture Gladio’s lips in a very soft, very chaste kiss.

“Love you,” Gladio whispered into the kiss. He slid his free arm around Noct’s waist and pulled him close again. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

Noct hummed into the kiss. “I’m sure. Are you?”

“Yeah.” Gladio smiled and pulled back again to run his fingers through Noct’s hair.

Noct lazily slung his arms around Gladio’s neck, and kissed him silently for a few moments longer. “You have to top, though.”

“You sure?” Gladio murmured, nuzzling his cheek against Noct’s, his stubble scratching gently. “I know you like topping.”

Noct snorted as the stubble tickled his skin. “Are you saying you don’t want to?”

Gladio kissed Noct’s cheek and pulled the prince into his lap. “I’m saying I want to make you happy, babe. So tell me what you want.”

Noct wrapped his legs around Gladio’s waist. “I literally just told you.”

Gladio hummed quietly at that. Noct had a point. He gently slipped his hands under Noct’s shirt, running them up the prince’s sides as they kissed again, every motion slower and more deliberate than normal.

Noct’s breath hitched as Gladio’s hands brushed softly over his stomach. “Gladio...” he whined softly. “That tickles…”

“Oh, yeah?” Gladio asked in a soft breath. He smirked against Noct’s lips and, giving into some childish impulse he couldn’t entirely control, purposefully tickled his boyfriend’s sides.

Noct squealed and squirmed in his boyfriend’s lap, soft giggles escaping his lips.

Gladio couldn’t help laughing as he continued tickling Noct like an idiot. He twisted and lightly tossed the prince to the bed, then climbed on top of him to continue his teasing onslaught.

Noct retaliated by tickling Gladio’s sides.

Gladio only laughed more and flopped down on top of Noct, careful not to actually squash the smaller man. He pressed a series of sloppy, happy, open-mouthed kisses along his boyfriend’s jaw and throat.

“Gods,” Noct choked out. “You are _such_ a dork!” He pulled Gladio to his lips for a proper kiss, running his fingers gently through his boyfriend’s hair. “I love you,” he murmured softly against Gladio’s lips.

“I love you, too,” Gladio breathed. He propped himself up again to meet Noct’s gaze, his own amber eyes soft and tender. “So damn much.”

Sitting up a little, he worked his hands up under Noct’s shirt again, gently scratching his nails along the prince’s skin in just the way he knew his boyfriend liked.

A pleasant shudder ran through Noct’s body at the touch and he moaned softly into the next kiss. He gently ran his tongue along Gladio’s lower lip, his hands reaching up the back of Gladio’s shirt to run teasingly along the muscles of Gladio’s back.

Gladio sighed happily, opening his mouth to allow Noct’s tongue access. His hands slid up until his fingers found the warm metal in his boyfriend’s nipples. The familiar groove of the piercings pressed against his fingertips and he startled, pulling back to blink down at Noct. Without a word, he yanked the prince’s shirt up and stared at the little wing-shaped piercings he’d bought Noct months ago. Then he forced his gaze up to his boyfriend’s face, torn between smiling like an idiot and kissing him hard again. “Of all the piercings you have…you’re wearing these?”

Noct blushed and turned away, the t-shirt bunching awkwardly around his upper arms. “They remind me of you…” he mumbled softly, almost too quiet to hear.

Gladio stared at him for another long moment, his chest swelling with love and warmth. Then he swooped down to press a series of soft, lingering kisses around the little silver wings. “Gods, I love you.”

Noct gasped in surprise as Gladio descended on his nipples. “I lo-” His breath stuttered in his throat and he had to start again. “I love you, too, oh gods, that feels amazing,” he moaned all in the same breath.

Gladio was pretty sure he’d never get used to Noct saying “I love you” so easily. He adored it every single time. Slowly, languidly, he closed his lips around Noct’s nipple and flicked his tongue against it, his fingers gently tugging on one of the wings on the other side of Noct’s chest.

Noct keened softly as Gladio lavished attention on his chest. “If this is your reaction to me wearing them today, then I won--oh, gods, yes. There.” He laughed softly and continued. “Then I wonder what you’d say if you knew that I’ve only taken them out to clean them since we broke up?”

Gladio pulled away to meet Noct’s gaze in surprise, his hand going still against his boyfriend’s chest. Noct had only worn the piercings he’d bought for him since they’d broken up? “Seriously?”

Noct blushed under the intensity of Gladio’s stare. “Well, yeah…” he mumbled self-consciously. “I missed you…”

“Couldn’t have possibly missed me as much as I missed you.” Gladio scooted up to kiss him again, pouring every ounce of love he felt into the contact.

Noct huffed in amusement. “Why don’t we just say it was equal?”

Gladio chuckled and pinched Noct’s nipple between his fingers. “Yeah, okay. That seems fair.”

Noct nipped his way down Gladio’s jaw to his neck, where he began biting and sucking gently in a way that he knew Gladio adored. He moaned softly against the flesh as Gladio twisted his nipple just so, and his hips instinctively raised to meet Gladio’s, before he remembered himself and forced himself to keep them planted firmly on the bed. “Sorry,” he whispered.

“‘S’okay,” Gladio muttered breathlessly. Gods, he hoped Noct’s lips had left a mark. He released Noct’s nipple to run his hand down his boyfriend’s side and gently press his hip into the sheets. Then he shifted down to kiss around the piercing again, nuzzling against the little metal wing.

“G-Gladio,” Noct breathed, a desperate keening building in the back of his throat. The attention Gladio was paying to his nipples was divine, but quickly becoming too much. The feeling of pleasure was turning to one of overstimulation and he wound his fingers through Gladio’s hair to ground himself. “Gladio, puh-please,” he panted with a soft laugh. “By the Six, I never th-thought I’d say this, haaaah,” he moaned softly, his grip tightening slightly in Gladio’s hair, but not enough to hurt. “May-maybe leave my nipples alone, oh gods…” He let out a loud moan, and his hips twitched against Gladio’s hand--he would have bucked up again if not for his boyfriend holding him in place.

Gladio pulled back sheepishly, murmuring an apology. He might have gotten a little bit carried away, what with Noct’s admission that he’d worn those piercings since they’d broken up. After a moment of watching his boyfriend against the pillows with his shirt still wadded up in his armpits, Gladio snorted in an attempt not to laugh outright. “Sorry, babe...uh. You want to maybe take your shirt off?”

Noct, still panting heavily, gave Gladio a flat look. “Oh, are you actually going to let me do that now? Or are you going to obsess over my nipnips some more?” He sat up to pull his shirt off and once that was taken care of, leaned in to kiss Gladio.

Gladio kissed back, tangling his fingers in Noct’s hair. When he finally broke the kiss, he whispered, “Nah...think I’ll obsess over something else for a bit.”

Noct glanced up as if he could see Gladio’s fingers in his hair. “I swear to Shiva, if you start licking my hair, I’m sending you home.”

“You have so much faith in me.” Gladio laughed and nuzzled Noct’s throat. His free hand squirmed between them to ghost over Noct’s crotch. “I was thinking something a little lower.”

Noct groaned softly but pulled back to look Gladio in the eye.  “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he said solemnly.

“I know,” Gladio breathed, gently rubbing his palm over Noct’s erection as he maintained eye contact. “I want to. Do you?”

Noct’s expression softened, and he gazed at Gladio with love and adoration. The last few weeks had been trying on them both, but now that they were here, together again, Noct knew that there was nowhere in the world he’d rather be. He knew they weren’t over their communication issues, and they’d both have to tread carefully for a while, but he realized with startling clarity that here, at least, with Gladio, it was okay to let himself be vulnerable. When he answered, it was barely audible as his breath ghosted over Gladio’s cheek. “Yes.”

Gladio’s breath caught in his throat at the look in Noct’s eyes. He’d never seen that expression before, and he was pretty damn sure it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Instead of continuing with what he’d been doing, he cupped Noct’s face in both hands and kissed him, long and slow and tender.

Noct kissed him back, just relishing in the feeling of Gladio’s lips against his own.

“Fuck, I love you,” Gladio whispered yet again when he finally broke the kiss. He pulled back to peel his shirt off--how the hell hadn’t he done that before now?--and gently pushed Noct back into the pillows. Shifting lower on the bed, he kissed along Noct’s stomach as his hands slowly undid his boyfriend’s fly. He ached in his own pants, begging for release, for any sort of stimulation, but he was determined to do this _right_ for once.

It was a minor relief that Noct wasn’t wearing the custom-print boxers with Gladio’s face on them. Made it easier for Gladio to gingerly pull them down without laughing, at least.

Once Noct’s erection was free, Gladio leaned down to gently, tentatively kiss at the base. His eyes flicked up to his boyfriend’s face, keeping track of Noct’s reactions as his tongue carefully went to work. Gods, he loved the taste of Noct’s skin.

Noct moaned loudly, his eyelids fluttering shut as Gladio kissed along his cock. “I thought we--” He was interrupted as another loud moan tore through his throat. “I thought--fuck!” He brought his knuckle to his mouth in an attempt to stifle another moan. “Thought we were going to make lo--oh, by the Six, I give in, you clearly won that stupid battle of the blowjobs!”

Gladio pulled back before he choked around Noct’s erection and started laughing again. “Noct, babe...I wasn’t even thinking about that…”

Noct narrowed his eyes at Gladio. “Then what are you doing? At this rate, it’s going to be over before it even starts.” He gestured to Gladio’s crotch, where his erection made a very obvious tent in his pants. “What about you?”

A self-conscious chuckle slipped out of Gladio’s lips and he sat up, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck. He’d been so absorbed in the feeling and taste of Noct after convincing himself he’d never been in this position again that he hadn’t even realized he’d been over-stimulating his boyfriend. Of course, they’d never really made all that much time for more than the most basic foreplay before, so he’d had no way of knowing how much was too much. “Right...sorry.”

He shucked his own pants quickly, sighing in relief as the pressure on his erection eased, and leaned over the side of the bed to feel for the supplies Noct generally kept underneath. “Crap...did you move it?”

“Hmm?” Noct asked. “No, but Ignis might’ve.”

Gladio groaned and reluctantly rolled out of bed. He shuffled around the room to Noct’s dresser and snapped the drawers open, rifling through clothing, porn magazines, and…

He grabbed the torn journal page and smoothed it out against the top of the dresser. It was his own handwriting. One of his poems. The paper had been worn, clearly unfolded and folded multiple times. Embarrassment and surprise ran through him and he glanced over his shoulder. “Did you really have to tear the page out? I was wondering where this one went.”

Noct blushed as he realized what Gladio was holding. “Sorry,” he muttered, staring at his bed sheets. “You can have it back.”

Gladio snorted and carefully folded it back up, returning it back to its hiding place as he took up his search for lube and condoms again. “‘S’okay. It’s...kind of sweet that you kept it.”

Noct looked up and took a few seconds to admire Gladio’s ass as he searched through the dresser before he leaned over the bed and retrieved the box of supplies from its usual spot. “Maybe try the closet?” he suggested, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

Gladio cursed under his breath and shifted to open the closet. He reached up to rifle through the boxes and random things on the top shelf. “Where the hell did he put it?”

Noct stared openly at the stretch of Gladio’s muscles as he searched around the closet. “Oh, I know!” he said, snapping his fingers. “It’s below the TV stand.”

Grumbling in frustration, Gladio crouched down to shove video game cartridges aside. When that came up empty, too, he growled, “it’s not here,” and straightened, turning back to the bed. It took him a moment to realize that the familiar box sat innocently beside Noct on the sheets, but when he did, he hid his face with his hand. “Godsdamn it...I’m an idiot. How’d I miss it?”

Noct laughed softly. “Sorry, I was having too much fun admiring the view.”

Gladio snorted and, with the grace of a pouncing coeurl, threw himself back onto the bed and crawled up to straddle Noct’s hips, kissing him soundly.

Noct leaned up into the kiss, groping around blindly in the box. When his fingers brushed against a bottle of lube, he grabbed it, not even checking what flavor it was, and softly pressed it into Gladio’s hand.

The next motions were sheer habit--flipping the bottle cap open, squeezing a dab of lube into his hand, spreading it over his fingers, teasing against Noct’s opening--but they felt somehow different this time, in a way he couldn’t quite describe. He spent far longer than normal gingerly stretching and preparing Noct, savoring his boyfriend’s reactions. It wasn’t until the prince was a writhing, keening mess beneath him that Gladio rolled the condom on and lubed himself up. Then he hesitated, his erection in hand, looking over Noct’s incredible body. “You...you’re sure you’re ready for this, babe?”

Noct looked up at Gladio with half-lidded eyes. “Unless you want to stop.” Noct wanted desperately to feel Gladio inside him, but his boyfriend’s earlier confession still hung heavily in his mind. “We can always go back to cuddling. After I untangle my towels, of course.”

Gladio snorted quietly and leaned down to kiss him. “Not a chance.”

Far slower than previously, Gladio carefully guided himself into Noct. Gods, it felt good to be inside him again. Every fiber of his being screamed for that hard and fast release they’d always given each other, but he forced himself to keep the rocking of his hips gentle and careful for now. His hands glided over Noct’s torso, brushing ever so lightly over his nipples or against his cock, occasionally sliding across his balls, simply soaking in every gentle touch. It was incredible how much more _intimate_ it felt.

Noct closed his eyes and allowed himself to just _feel_. Quiet gasps and moans left his lips as he gave into the sensations that were washing over him. He wrapped his legs tightly around Gladio’s torso, savoring every point of contact. His hands ran softly down Gladio’s chest, reveling in the way the muscles flexed beneath his fingers as Gladio moved over him.

Gladio cursed quietly as the pleasure ran through him, liquid fire in his veins, his heart feeling like it might burst with happiness with every soft sound Noct made. It was beautiful and strangely sacred, like a moment they stole from the rest of the world.

Slowly, he lost control over his own body and his thrusts grew a little faster, a little deeper. His hand settled on Noct’s familiar erection, stroking firmly, and he leaned down for another kiss. Their breath gusted hot and sweet together as their lips met with bruising force.

When they broke apart, Noct opened his eyes to gaze deeply at Gladio. “I love you,” he breathed, gently wrapping a hand around the back of Gladio’s neck to pull him in for another kiss.

He broke it with a sharp gasp as Gladio shifted slightly, putting him at the perfect angle to hit his prostate. Noct’s back arched completely off the bed as he let out a low, guttural cry, his cheeks reddening as waves of pleasure washed through his body.

“Astrals….” he choked out. “Fuck, Gladio…”

Gladio groaned at that, unable to form coherent words any more. Slow and gentle was out the window now. He desperately needed release, and he knew instinctively Noct did, too. He kissed his boyfriend over and over again as he drove into Noct fervently, loving every yelp and moan as he hit Noct’s prostate with each thrust.

Noct was getting closer to the edge with every thrust and it wasn’t long before he toppled over it completely, a warm, sticky wetness slicking down both his and Gladio’s chests. The orgasm was far more intense than any he had had before, and he completely lost himself as he clenched around his boyfriend.

Gladio mumbled out the vague resemblance of a curse as Noct clenched and spasmed around him. He thrust once more, driving himself deep inside Noct, and tipped over into his own orgasm, the pleasure burning through him and whiting out his vision.

When he finally came back to his senses enough to move, he gingerly lowered himself on top of Noct and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him as close as humanly possible. “Fuck...I love you so much…”

Noct, who was still mostly out of it, mumbled something incoherent that sounded vaguely like “I love you, too,” as he buried his head into Gladio’s chest.

They lay like that for longer than they probably should have before Gladio forced himself to move. He gingerly rolled off Noct, pulled off the condom, tied it and tossed it in the bin, then returned to the bedside to lean over and nuzzle into Noct’s neck. “C’mon. Let’s get you in the shower. You, uh...mind if I spend the night?”

Noct dragged his pillow over and buried his face in it. “Just wanna sleep. Get back in bed. Stay the night or I’ll kick your ass.”

“What, you don’t want a nice, hot shower with me?” Gladio asked with a soft chuckle against Noct’s throat. “Maybe a back rub? Me washing your hair for you? Doesn’t sound nice?”

Noct lifted his head thoughtfully. Finally he sighed. “Fine. Since _someone_ decided to smear cum all over my belly, we can take a quick shower. But then it’s back to bed.”

“Pretty sure that was your own fault,” Gladio teased gently. He captured Noct’s lips in a soft, lingering kiss, then scooped his boyfriend up off the bed.

He kept one arm around Noct’s waist as he started the shower, and only released him when they stepped into the big stall together. Under the hot water, they languidly washed each other off, and Gladio relished scrubbing his fingers through Noct’s hair and rubbing his shoulders.

Once they were clean and relaxed again, Gladio shut the water off, toweled them both down, and carried Noct back to the bed. He settled down beside his boyfriend, big arms wrapped around him and his face pressed into Noct’s damp hair.

Noct gently nuzzled his nose against Gladio’s neck. “Love you,” he murmured tiredly, before drifting off into an exhausted, relaxed sleep.

“Love you, too,” Gladio whispered. He lay awake for a while longer, listening to Noct’s breathing and feeling the prince’s heartbeat under his hands. Finally, he gave into the utter bliss of the evening and let himself drift off, too.


	12. Finger Guns of Sweet Lovin' (set during chapter 67)

Prompto adjusted his visor in the reflection of the glass pastry case for the seventh time that morning, frowning at the way his mop of blond hair stuck out from it at odd angles. 

“Stop fussing with it, kid, you look fine,” his shift supervisor said with an amused quirk of her lips. 

The young college student who was perusing their menu smiled at him as well. “Kinda adorable, actually.”

Prompto blushed and went back to restocking the scones. “Sorry. First day, ya know?”

The college student nodded understandingly and placed his order, which Prompto then set to work making. The menu here was similar to that of the other coffee shop he worked at, and as such, he had little trouble learning the ropes and was allowed to work with only minor supervision.

He finished the drink and handed it to the college student, who took off the lid to smell it and then take a small sip. He nodded appreciatively and slipped a dollar into the tip jar. “Tastes great, man, thanks!” he said, sliding a small, folded-up piece of paper across the drink pick-up station to Prompto. 

Prompto unfolded the note as the college student left and blushed to find that he had written his name and phone number, followed by a crudely drawn dick and a winky face. Prompto quickly stuffed the note in his pocket and glanced around, hoping his co-workers hadn’t noticed. They hadn’t, and the morning continued on with Prompto doing a little bit of everything while his fellow employees explained things whenever he had a question and they could pull themselves away from customers.

At six-thirty on the nose, the little bell above the door gave a soft jingle and Prompto looked up from wiping down the counter to greet the customer. The words died on his lips, however, when he recognized the man who had just walked in.

It had been a little over a year since he had last seen Ignis. Ever since graduation, when he and Noct hung out, it was almost always at Prompto’s place, and the few times he had gone over to Noct’s, Ignis had been absent. He looked good, Prompto noticed, with his bangs slicked back instead of falling around his eyes like they used to. Other than that, though, not much else had changed, and he was still the same gorgeous man Prompto had fallen head-over-heels for the moment he had met him in his freshman year of high school.

Ignis frowned at his phone as he walked through the front of the shop on memory alone. His email had blown up overnight with news from Niflheim and the Council members bickering over what to do about it, and he was desperately attempting to catch up before his morning coffee. 

Prompto hurried over to the cash register, self-consciously adjusting his visor as he nearly tripped over his own two feet in his rush to get there.

“H-Hello! Welcome to The Coffee Shop,” he said, putting on his biggest smile. “What can I get for you today?”

Ignis glanced up for a half second when he reached the counter, then made a small noise of irritation as his phone pinged with yet another email. Did the old men on the Council just never sleep?! Distracted, he muttered his order. “Ah, yes, extra large Ebony, hot, splash of milk.” 

“Coming right up,” Prompto chirped, tapping the appropriate buttons on the cash register, and then writing it down on one of the paper cups before passing it off to his coworker, who went about making the drink.

“So,” Prompto said idly, as he waited for his coworker to pass him the finished drink. “How ya doing?”

Ignis was vaguely aware of the blond barista talking as he swiped his credit card, but his attention was firmly on the seemingly endless scroll of emails on his screen. Besides, the baristas here knew better than to talk to him before he’d had his first cup of Ebony. The man must have been talking to someone else. 

Prompto chewed on his lower lip and drummed his fingers nervously against the counter as Ignis ignored him. He knew Ignis didn’t really care for him much, but usually he was at least civil enough to make small talk. 

His eyes landed on the pastry case and his face brightened. He remembered from the mornings that Ignis drove them to school that he liked pastries, as he was almost always eating one with his coffee. 

Prompto quickly bagged up a pumpkin scone just as his co-worker handed over the finished drink. Prompto passed over the pastry and the coffee and flashed Ignis another wide smile. “Here you go!”

Ignis did glance up that time, blinking blearily at the barista and the proffered pastry bag. He cleared his throat. “What’s this? I don’t recall ordering a pastry this morning.” 

“Oh, no worries, Ignis, it’s on me!” Prompto said, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “I remembered you like pastries, so…ah…” He trailed off, chuckling nervously.

The woman who had made Ignis’ drink glanced at Prompto. “You know we don’t get free pastries, right? They’ll take that out of your paycheck…”

“Yeah, I know,” Prompto said. “It’s cool.”

Ignis blinked again and hesitantly accepted the bag with his free hand. He glanced inside and hummed quietly at the pumpkin scone. Terribly kind of the barista, if a bit startling. He tucked the scone into his bag and gave the man a tight little polite smile. “Thank you, sir. Good day.” 

Taking a long sip of his coffee, he turned and strode out of the cafe. He had an email crisis to deal with, after all. 

“Sir?” Prompto squeaked as Ignis left the cafe. 

The barista next to him snorted. “That’s just Mr. Scientia. He’s always like that before his coffee.”

“Y-Yeah, I know he can be grumpy, but…” Prompto stammered.

The barista glanced at him. “What, you know him?”

“I...yeah…” Prompto admitted.

The barista turned back to the door that Ignis had just walked out of. “Dude, I don’t think he recognized you.”

 

* * *

 

Ignis adjusted the wristband of his glove as he strode toward the training hall later that afternoon. He wasn’t normally the type to rehearse conversations in his head, but he’d been attempting to figure out what to say to Noct’s friend for hours. 

He sighed and pushed into the training hall, hesitating when he caught sight of Gladio and Prompto in conversation across the room. Now that he was aware of it, he could see the resemblance to the blond barista this morning. Lovely. He cleared his throat. 

“Hey, Iggy,” Gladio called with a grin.

“Gladio. Mr. Argentum.” Ignis nodded politely. Before Prompto had a chance to respond, he pushed on. “It’s come to my attention that I failed to recognize you at The Coffee Shop this morning, and I’d like to apologize for the misunderstanding. Thank you for the scone.” 

Prompto’s face fell as Ignis admitted to not having recognized him. “O-oh. It’s no problem. Um…did you like it?”

Ignis smiled tightly. “It was passable. Though I would have added a bit more seasoning, if I were the baker.” 

Prompto’s face fell even further. “Oh. I thought they were pretty good…s-sorry.”

Ignis opened his mouth to respond, but caught sight of the exasperated look Gladio was giving him. He cleared his throat again, adjusted his glasses, and muttered, “No need to apologize. I’m quite...overzealous when it comes to food. And apparently quite a fool when it comes to apologies.” 

Prompto chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t sweat it, man. Really. It’s all good.” In an attempt to set Ignis at ease, he flashed him a carefree grin and clicked his tongue against his teeth as he winked and flashed Ignis finger guns.

And then he remembered who he was talking to.

He froze, finger guns up, goofy grin plastered on his face, and sheer, abject terror behind his eyes. He had just given Ignis finger guns. Oh, gods.

Ignis blinked in confusion, cleared his throat once more, and glanced at Gladio for guidance. 

Gladio, who had a hand clapped over his mouth and whose eyes were sparkling with stifled laughter. Some help. 

“Yes, well...I suppose I ought to return to work,” Ignis finally muttered. He nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and strode purposefully out of the training hall. Why the  _ hell _ had he found that awkward little gesture  _ so endearing _ ? Thank the gods he’d turned away before either Prompto or Gladio could notice the embarrassment probably written all over his face. 

Oh, these were definitely things he shouldn’t be thinking about. Much better to bury himself in his work and pretend he hadn’t noticed it. 


End file.
